Dead Date
by Yukiji Yonaha
Summary: This story is about the Child of Chow, Maeve Michales. She is an OC .It is written from the point of view of a vampire. Chow and Eric appear in this story. It is not a Chow and Sookie pairing.
1. Bored in CT

Child of Chow

Like most bizarre stories these days, mine has its start on the internet. What can I say? I was 40, bored, and fresh out of Regency Romances to read. I thought it might be a good time to "rejoin the living". Little did I know that when I typed up my profile and hit save, ( thus broadcasting my availability to every member of the largest internet dating site- "The pond") I had essentially taken the first step towards joining the ranks of the undead. Existence is so full of ironies.

I guess my profile had been posted for all of 30 minutes when I got my first e-mail. The picture next to the subject line was promising. It was of an attractive, middle aged man. He had the kind of smile you would see in a commercial for crest whitening-strips and was wearing a pastel colored polo. It turns out he wanted to know if I was into dominating men and being worshipped. In other words, he was looking for dominatrix. Disgusted, I hit the delete button. That e-mail was such a reflection of the times. Some eras are defined by their passion, others by their innovation, ours is defined by an absence of good taste and mystery. Why would anyone possibly want to know that someone had "exotic" tastes in bed in the first email? I mean, I am advocate of honesty, but can't people wait until you at least know their name or share a cup of coffee? It's another irony, the way people will share the most personal and intimate details of themselves with a total stranger because it's impersonal. But I digress...

So about 15 emails later, all in a similar vein, and all dispensed of in the same manner, I got an email from Yakuza2010. His picture showed an attractive Asian man in his mid 30's with the most elaborate tatoos I had ever seen. They were all over a lean, yet muscular and very exposed chest. His expression was, in a word, arrogant. I sighed and was going to delete it without reading it but doing that would just be hypocritical. After all, wasn't I the person who was always on a soap box about how superficial people are? Wasn't I always saying that people shouldn't judge each other on appearances. Just because he looked like a gangster didn't mean he couldn't be a nice guy, right? So I went ahead and hit open. It was the first normal email I got on that site. It just said, "Hi, are you asian? My name is Chow btw".

As it turns out, I am part Asian- Eurasian if you want to be politically correct, a happa, or half breed if you are Japanese. Thanks to that fact, I look like I am in my early thirties in spite of the fact I have been chain smoking for the past two decades. It's also the reason people refer to me as looking attractive in an exotic way. It seemed like a harmless enough email, so I replied. We exchanged a few more emails - you know the usual... what do you do? how was your day?met any people on here? etc. etc. I started to feel encouraged. Maybe there were normal, datable man left in Conneticut after all. He wanted to exchange numbers, but I don't give my phone number to strangers. We agreed to meet for coffee instead. It was Monday when we started emailing, our coffee date was set for Tuesday.

In retrospect, I probably should have found out a little more about Chow before agreeing to a meet and greet. I could have asked him, "what's your favorite food?","Do you like sunbathing?", "Don't you just love silver jewelry?" but hindsight is always twenty-twenty. Who knew Chow had a "don't ask don't tell" philosophy about being a vampire. In my own defense,I would like to point out that you aren't supposed to subscribe to "The Pond" if you are a vampire. There are other dating sites that cater to them. Guess Chow didn't read all the terms and conditions when he signed up. Anyway, Tuesday came and since I had no idea I had made a coffee date with someone who was dead, I was pretty excited.

I woke up that morning and I had something that wasn't part of my routine to look forward to, which was a nice change. I got into work early, prompting some comments from my boss about how we could expect snow (it was the middle of summer-everyone's a wit) .That day I got all my work done with the efficiency of Martha Stewart. When Five O'clock arrived, I was out the door and on I-84 before you anyone could say-"Maeve, I need the past two years of automobile claims reported by accident state, insurance status, and loss dollars- oh and could you have that ready for my nine o'clock meeting tomorrow morning?" Flying down the highway with my sun roof open and my music blasting, I was on top of the world.

Once I pulled into my driveway, my euphoria dampened a little. The difficult part started. What to wear? It was only coffee after all, so I didn't want to look like I had put too much effort into it. On the other hand, I didn't want to look like I hadn't made an effort either. I settled on the only pair of flattering skinny jeans I own and a Silk Kimono style shirt. The shirt has a peach and cream lotus flower print on it. My gold necklace shapped like snake and 8mm akoya pearl studs earrings completed the outfit. When I left my house, I had a smile of anticipation on my face, and a little strut in my walk. For once the couch wasn't going to have my butt parked on it. I had someplace to go and someone to see. I was going to meet the intriguing Mr. Chow. I was going to reclaim my spot among the living.

When I got to the starbucks across the street from Buckland Hills malls the first thing I noticed was that it was packed. The second thing I noticed was that it was packed with couples who didn't really know each other. I guess meeting for coffee was a popular "first date". I wondered if people switched up which starbucks they met at so they wouldn't run into previous coffee dates. I wondered if the employees at starbucks found it amusing to see the same people over and over again having coffee with different people each time. I wondered why I had thought that dating again after a year long hiatus was something I needed to do. I was just about to turn around and walk out when I felt someone staring at me. It took me a minute to find the source, but then I saw him. He was sitting in the back corner next to the cream and sugar stand.

Our eyes locked and in that moment I knew I wasn't going to be able to drink my Latte fast enough to suit me. Oh, he was gorgeous. He looked better in person than in his picture. But for all his intrinsic "hotness", there was something downright cold and creepy about him. It was his eyes- they were dead. I really didn't want to have a cup of joe with him anymore, but my mother had raised me to believe that a rude person doesn't deserve to live. I took a breath, braced myself, and walked over to his table.

"Hi" he said in a voice so sexy and smooth I involuntarily shivered.

"Hi", I forced my voice to remain level and cofindent " you must be Chow, I am Maeve. Is that extra cup mine or are you a two fisted coffee drinker?"

" I remembered you mentioned you like Venti Decaf Non fat lattes with one pump of sugar free caramel from your emails," he replied and gave me a smile that was intented to melt but had quite the opposite effect on me.

" That was sweet", I replied sitting down, grabbing the Latte, hoping he hadn't noticed that I had flinched.

The next fifteen minutes were basically spent with him asking me a question and me answering it inbetween scorching gulps of coffee. After each answer he would say,"uh-huh" or "oh" or "really?". There would be a brief silence and then he'd fire off his next question. I was just about to give up on finding a feasible excuse to explain why I had to leave that very instant, when he asked me about my upcoming recital. That inpsired me. It was such a relief to have an "out" that wasn't an obvious slight.

"funny you should ask me about that" I got up to throw my coffee cup in the trash. I didn't sit back down when I returned to the table." I was just thinking- I still need to practice the piece I'm performing. It's going to take me several hours tonight, so I should get going. It was nice to meet you, thanks for the coffee" I flashed him my best pageant smile.

" Come on, I am sure you play fine. What do you play again?" He said, not moving from his seat. There is nothing worse than someone who can't take a hint.

" Piano" I said, trying to keep my voice polite and pleasant," and as tempting as staying here may be, I really must go. If I had an eterenity to practice this piece, I would still need more time" I laughed at my own little joke, " see you later".

I turned and headed towards the door. It was startling to see his hand reach out and pull the door handle. He held the door open for me and began walking with me towards my car. Well, I had to give him credit for being a gentleman. Guess his momma raised him right.

" Don't I even get a hug?" he asked playfully when we got there. What could I say?

"Sure" I reached over to give him a hug. It was 80 degrees outside, but he felt very cold. This concerned me.

" You feel cold, I think your coming down with something. You might want to take a multi- vitamin or you know what?I hear that airborne stuff works pretty good." I said trying to be helfpful. For the first time, there was a trace of emotion in those cold black eyes. Was it amusement?

"Why don't you invite me to your home, I could help you practice" Chow said smoothly." I would love to hear you play". Ok, there was something very intense about the way he was looking at me. It was like a part of me felt compelled to say "Sure" but the rational part of me was screaming "Hell no!" I went with the rational part.

" Maybe next time" I stammered. Then I hopped in my car and flew out of the parking lot so fast I cut off a pickup truck that was pulling out of the McDonalds drive thru. The driver laid into his horn, and I could see him flipping me off in my rear view mirror. I could also see Mr. Chow laughing.

"Wierd", I thougt to myself and hit the gas. When I got home, the first thing I did was wash the makeup off my face. Then I changed into my old sweat shorts, tennis shoes, and tank top. Tuesday was my walking day. I liked to go putzing around the trails in the woods across the street from my house once a week. It was my excercise program. I usually wouldn't have been out so late. There are bats out this time of year. Since the last thing I needed was for one of them to fly down and get tangled in my hair, I tucked it all under a baseball cap. Then I grabbed my flash , the one I bought last week at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Satisfied I had everything, I crossed RTE 44 and headed into the woods.

The nice thing about my new flashlight is that it doesn't need batteries. You just shake it and it charges up. So I wasn't worried that I would be stuck on a trail at night with no light. As I walked along, I thought about my lack of a romantic life. Why was I always picking the wrong guy? If I was in a room with 25 guys I would get along great with, an one with whom it just wasn't going to work, I would end up picking the latter one. My guy-dar was definitely broken. Well, Regencey Romances really weren't that bad, I mused. It's so much better to read about drama than be involved in it, you know? At least you knew at the end of it all they were going to have great sex and a happy ending. I was abosrbed in these thoughts and managed to space out long enough to wander off the path.

"Shit!" I said to no one at all when I realized I wasn't on a trail. I was in the process of retracing my steps when I heard something moving through the trees.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I whispered to myself. I really hoped it wasn't a bear or a cayote... it was probably just a deer or a rabbit... I walked faster... that's when my little flash light died.

I was standing there, shaking my flashlight in one hand with the intensity of a man "spanking the monkey" while watching a porno, but the darned thing wouldn't turn back on. I heard movement again...I was in panic mode.

"F- this!" I shouted, and began running like a bride at one of those one-day-only, $50 dollar designer bridal gown, warehouse sales. I couldn't see where I was going, I didn't know which direction I was running, it was a stupid thing to do-run, invite a predator to the chase. I was thinking that I was being ridiculous: running through the forrest, probably from a rabbit, shaking my flashlight the whole way. About a minute into my run, I was thinking that I needed to quit smoking. My lungs were burning in a way only lungs subjected to twenty years of sedentary living and chain smoking could burn. Something was following me. Like an idiot, I did the thing you should never do when you are being pursued and are running in a panick through the woods. I turned to look behind me. That's when I tripped on a tree root and fell. The flashlight broke in the fall, the plastic cut into the palm of my right hand and blood trickled down my wrist. Blood was doing much more than trickling from my lower thigh. I had managed to cut my leg pretty deeply on one of the sharp rocks on the path.

I was winded, bleeding profusely, and being pursued. I couldn't muster the strength to stand up again, but I wasn't just going to give up. If there was something out there that wanted me, it would have to catch me on the go. I began to pull myself along with my left, uninjured hand. Rocks and roots were scrapping the skin off my legs with each pull, but I forced myself to continue. Why, oh why, didn't I bring my cell phone? I wondered. I'd been dragging myself along for about a fifty yards when my heart nearly froze in my chest as I realized something was hovering over me.

" Thought you were going home to practice" a voice I never planned on hearing again said. I turned and looked up. The last thing I saw was Chow shaking his head and looking at me the way a parent looks at a naughty child.


	2. Didn't see it coming or Quit Smoking

When I came to, I felt dirty, disoriented, and thirsty. It took a little time for my eyes to focus. When they did, I realized it was night. The awareness that someone was shaking me registered at about the same time. I looked to see who it was. I didn't recognize the man crouched over me but he was easily the most handsome man I had ever seen. He had short black hair and angular features that were both refined and masculine. He wore a leather jacket with a mandarin collar. My gaze followed the dragon painted on his sleeve to his hand. He was offering me an open bottle. Instinct kicked in. I took it and began chugging like a frat boy at a keg party. I was nearly at the bottom when he handed me another one. It's a good thing he had a six pack. I had a vague notion that I wasn't swallowing but it didn't raise any flags at the time. I just kept going, and as the contents of the bottle in my hand disappeared he handed me the next one. I am a little ashamed to admit that I wasn't taking much trouble to ensure all the contents were making it into my mouth. I could feel some sliding out of its corners and dripping down my chin.

"Napkin?" he held out a stack of them. The logo told me he picked them up at the seven-eleven.

I set the last bottle down and took one. "Thanks" I said and wiped my face clean. It was more than a one napking job so I took the rest of the stack. Then we just sat there without saying anything for a while.

"Who are you?" I asked. I was loosing the disoriented feeling and starting to come to my senses.

"My name is Takeshi" he answered. He had a pleasant voice, calm and deep.

"What happened? Where's Chow?" As I remembered what was going on before I blacked out, I began to panic. I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to stay calm, but they didn't do much. In fact I couldn't even feel them.

"Chow had to go out of town unexpectedly. He asked me to look after you. Here" he was offering me his hand and straightening to stand. My body followed and I found myself looking up at him. At 6 ft 3 and about 200 lbs of solid muscle he was taller than I expected. I haven't seen many Asian men that are over six feet tall,I mean I know they are out there and all, but I had just never seen one before. Our eyes met and they lingered a second. It was like setting off a roman candle. Before I could blink we were making out like two teenagers on prom night. When I felt the ground pushing against my back and buttocks, I realized I was horizontal and the rational side of my brain kicked in. What the hell was I doing? I pushed him away from me. He didn't insist, he just rolled off and said," You need a bath" then he grabbed my hand and yanked me to my feet.

" what? You can kiss my ass!" I said feeling pretty darned defensive. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh!" I said, and rolled my eyes then started walking off in high dudgeon. What a rude dude! He didn't say anything and followed.

We had walked about a mile, and I was just calming down, when my brain kicked in again. Why would Chow send someone to "look after me"? What was Chow doing in the woods in the first place? Was he stalking me? How long had I been out? What was that nasty stuff I had just been drinking? How could I drink if I didn't swallow? What kind of person tells a perfect stranger they need a bath? Who are these people? Why could I see the faces of bats that were circling over head?What the hell is going on? I was working myself into a frenzy with my internal monologue but a flash of headlights up ahead told me I was close to rte 44 so I settled down. "Who cares? I am almost home." I told myself mentally. Once I got there I could forget about Chow and his GQ buddy, take my bath and get back to " The Rake Who Tupped Me". I never got tired of reading that book.

"Well, thanks for refreshments, and ah, you know… " I said as I picked up my pace. There really wasn't a way for it to not be awkward.

Takeshi, or Tak didn't say anything. He just let me walk on, cross the street and head up the driveway. I was almost to my sun room when I heard him whisper into my ear,

"We aren't done yet" . It didn't startle me, I felt him coming.

" I think we are" I retorted. It was a shame to throw cold water on whatever was going on between us but really, all I knew about this guy was that he was hot and he was a friend of Chow

s . That last fact was enough to convince me it was all I wanted to know about this guy.

" You aren't thinking straight" he said evenly.

Questioning my reasoning powers has always been a hot button with me. It inevitably gets me to say things that are more appropriate coming out of the mouth of a pugnacious teenager than a mature woman. I turned to face him and said,

" Oh, I am thinking straight you arrogant ass. I thanked you for the drinks and appreciate the sentiment, but I can look after myself. Tell Chow I said thanks and have a nice life, and you do the same" It was as clear a dismissal as anyone could give. I turned to keep going but he took my arm.

" We need to talk"

" No, we don't. This is goodbye" I yanked my arm away and opened my screen door.

" We are not done yet" He said again.

I got inside the sun room, yanking the screen door shut and said through it . " Listen, we have nothing to talk about. We are like strangers who met in an airport, its time now for everyone to get on their own flights. Good bye" I stared at him and waited for him to go. I wasn't opening the door to my house until he took his leave.

" But we are on the same plane. If you would take a moment to think about it you would realize this fact" he was starting to sound a little impatient, and it pushed me over the edge.

" No we are not, you pushy jackass. Now buzz off, this is my final adieu and it's a giant Fuck you!" I said and shot him the most venemous look I could muster. I wanted him to know I meant business. He looked suprised for a second, then his expression changed and for a moment I thought he was going to laugh.

" You have such an angelic voice, its ridiculous for you to curse and try to be bitchy, Mae -chan." Mae-chan? What now we were friends? I just glared at him and didn't say a word. Maybe if I didn't say anything he would go away.

"Clearly you are not thinking straight or you would realize you are someone who needs answers. I am the only one who can give them to you. Lets go, we have to get inside so you can get cleaned up and then we will talk" he could have been reading the weather report, that's how calm his voice sounded.

I opened my mouth to unleash every and any colorful insult I could come up with, but stopped myself as I noticed an ant crawling up a blade of grass about fifty yards away. How could I see that? Maybe there was some sense to what he was getting at after all. I did need a shower, and I needed answers. What was the worse thing that could happen? If he had wanted to hurt me he would have done it by now. It seemed the only danger I was in was of throwing myself at this more than willing stranger. I had more self control than that, so there was no danger at all.

" You have a point" I said, reluctantly.

" I am glad you have decided to be reasonable". I told myself to ignore the noise coming out of this mans mouth. It's like the buzzing of a fly, I told myself and held my tongue. I really wanted to get showered and informed so I could send this arrogant a-hole packing. We were inside now. I was about to tell him he could wait in the living room and watch some TV but by the time I set my keys on the kitchen counter and turned to tell him, he was settled comfortably on my couch ,actively channel surfing. Why didn't this surprise me?

I headed back to my room, grabbed a pair of jeans , the tazer in my underwear drawer (just in case), my purse and my "fever for cowbell T-shirt" then headed towards the bathroom. I popped my head into the living room and saw Tak had settled on a re-run of " Hell Girl" . If he noticed me, he gave no indication.

Everything about that shower was intense. I must have been stinky because the water just smelled incredible. It had a sweetness I never noticed before. My shampoo and shower gel also seemed to have developed subtle layers of fragrance since the last time I used them. The water felt like a silky caress and I swear I could see each drop falling as if it were in some kind of High Def slow motion. I had my first orgasm just standing there rinsing off. That was cool but kind of weird and random. Maybe Tak had slipped an aphrodisiac or worse into whatever I had been drinking . There was definitely something a little off about me tonight. I wasn't someone who made out with strangers, was rude,and got off in the shower. That might be the definition of normal for some folks , but it was not my usual cup of tea. Once I got over the after shocks , I dried off and dressed. I wiped off the steam from the medicine cabinet mirror so I could comb my hair and put on some lipstick. When I saw my reflection I didn't bother with the comb or the lipstick, I ran into the living room.

Tak, hit the mute button. " I am ready to talk" I said. He turned the T.V. off.

I was at a loss for words. The story Tak had just told me was incredible. I mean I know it could happen, probably happened every day, but somehow I thought being a forty year old woman living in a small town in CT meant it couldn't happen to me.

" Four days ago" was all I managed to say when I regained my voice. Then I ran to my computer and logged in. Sure enough, there was an email from my company stating that in compliance with their "three consecutive days no show, no call" they regretted to inform me I was no longer their employee. I don't really know why that was the first thing I felt anxious about when I learned I was a vampire. Maybe it was just that for sixteen years my job had been the only constant. Lovers came and went, friends came and went, my boss changed about every four years, but every week day for the past sixteen years I had known exactly where I was going to be and what I was going to be doing.

At first I felt numb. Then I felt bitter. Sixteen years and all I got was a lousy e-mail. I was going to have a T-shirt made up with those words on it. Now what?

Tak was still sitting on the couch, when I powered down my PC and headed back into the living room.

"Chow wants you to join him in Louisiana" Tak was saying " that's where he had to go. He just needs a couple of weeks to find a place and get settled in with his new employer Eric Northman and then you are to join him"

I didn't say anything. No need to discuss joining Chow in Louisiana, it wasn't going to happen I told myself.

" He says he thinks he can get you a job at the bar he is working at, Fangtasia. They have a few things you could do in the office. You are too new to work with the humans. It could be dangerous for everyone."

I still said nothing. Since I had no intention of joining Chow anywhere, his ideas about my employment were irrelevant. I'd figure out what I was going to do, like I always did.

"once you get more, um, accustomed to your new situation, you could work as bar tender there to or maybe a dancer"

Ok, that got a rise out of me.

"Tak, let me ask you a question?" if he had known me better he might have realized my tone was lethal.

"yeah, sure. That's why I am here"

" Do you think I spent eight years studying Statistics so that I could dance at a vampire bar in Louisiana? Is there anything about my physique that gives you the impression anyone would want to see me earning my bread and butter as a dancer of any kind? You do realize I am a 40 year old woman, right?" I decided to leave it at that.

Somehow, I didn't get the impression that Tak or Chow would "get" that what I did was none of their business and what they were doing wasn't any of my concern. Chow could go to hell-I met the man coffee, he turned me into a vampire, that was all. That's where the connection ended . Tak had been helpful but he was guilty of having poor taste in friends and had definitely overstayed his welcome, as far as I was concerned.

" Are you that old? I thought you were in your early thirties. Well I think your hot enough to be a dancer. I mean, you don't have abs of steel or anything but not everyone is into that. Don't be so hard on yourself, Mae."

" I was not fishing for compliments!" I hissed, exasperated. I was reaching the end of my thread. It was just to much: The date from hell thing; The vampire thing; the job loss thing; the knowledge that I was a member of the undead because I had met the most petty vampire in the world for coffee thing (Tak had attributed my being turned by Chow to his twisted sense of humor. He said Chow turned me so I would have eternity to learn a piano concerto. It was just to asinine to countenance). " This is bullshit" I said, mostly to myself.

"Relax, its not that bad" He might have been going for warm and reassuring, but it sounded like cold and stupid to me.

" This has been great, Tak" I said with every ounce of sarcasm I felt ," Thanks. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to retire for the evening and you need to go" My mother raised me better than that, I know but considering how rude I had been to him earlier did it matter? Besides, she raised me to believe rude people had no reason to live and well technically I wasn't alive anymore so I'd found a loop hole.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be " He got up and headed towards the door. Before he walked out he set his card on my kitchen counter. I was just about to push him out the door and bolt it shut when he looked at me with something I can only describe as compassion.

" It's been a trying night, I understand. Don't worry I wont hold a grudge, just call me when your ready Mae-chan"

"My name is Maeve" I said as I pushed him out the door and bolted it shut. All I needed was a cigarette and a cup of Joe and my world would be right again. I put a K-cup in my machine, fished out a coffee mug from the cup board and pushed the brew button. When it was ready I headed toward the living room with my mug and dug through my purse for my cigarettes and lighter. I was already starting to relax, it was a pavlovian response to the prospect of caffeine and nicotene. I popped the cigarette in my mouth and flicked my bic and tried to take a drag. That's when I had an epiphany- you have to breath to smoke. " No, No, no- this can't be happening damn it!" I yelled at my television screen. Well, guess quitting just became a moot point. Disgusted I threw my cigarettes back into my purse and took a swig of coffee.

If anyone stuck a red hot poker in your mouth that was covered in dirt, you would have a first hand experience of what that swig of coffee was like for me. I immediately spit it out, creating a mess on my floor and table. There would obviously be no more latte's in my future. I couldn't smoke or drink coffee anymore- I broke down and started crying. It's always the little things that get you, you know? I didn't cry long once I noticed my tears were blood, eww. I was grossing myself out. I headed into the kitchen for kleenex and paper towels. As I cleaned up the mess, I tried to find the bright side in all this. There is always a bright side. Everything happens for a reason, right? Yeah. All I could come up with, was that I was that I would never grow old and die (because I was already dead).

On the down side: I had been bored when this started and now it looked like I was going to be eternally bored, My maker was a stalker and the class clown, I didn't have a job, the first man to arouse my interest in years was a friend of the man who killed me, my dating pool had just gotten alot smaller and scarier, and did I mention that I couldn't smoke or drink coffee?

Eventually, the practical side of me kicked in to stop the insanity. I was going to need something to eat tomorrow, nothing in my fridge would do anymore. I remembered the seven eleven napkins, and headed down there to get a six pack of True Blood. If they were stocking the stuff, there must be other vamps in the area, right? Funny how I had never thought of it before. The great reveal and all the other things going on in the world seemed to have nothing to do with me. I should have been paying more attention, I guess.

As I pulled into my driveway, after my munchie run, I felt tired. "Thank goodness, my house has a basement" was what I was thinking as I got to my sun room and noticed a coffin , a case of True blood, and a cell phone. It had a card attached to it, I read it once I had everything inside. " Get some rest, I will call you tomorrow we have more to talk about- T p.s.- my name is Takeshi not Tak" It was nice to see could push his buttons too.

I changed into my p j's, and as climbed into my coffin and began to pull the lid down. I was just thinking that the clerk at the seven eleven was human and it hadn't fased me at all when the coffin lid shut and I was dead to the world.


	3. Loose String or Maeve's Revenge

Loose Ends

I had just finished putting on my lip gloss when the phone rang. It was Tak, he had been calling me once a day since the night we met. I never pick up, just let it go to voicemail and don't listen to the message. I had looked up the cost of the coffin on line and sent him a check and thank you note the night after my "awakening" . I felt that tied things up nicely. I headed over to my antique secretary desk and looked at my To do list. There wasn't much left on it, the past couple of weeks had been productive.

I had found the bright side to my "situation". Thanks to the ineptitude of the state legislators and my former employers fear of litigation, I was a very rich out that this was the right time and the right state for one join the undead community. I'll explain.

CT State legislators had been having a difficult time addressing all the legal ramification of having vampires coming out of the coffin. They seemed to be caught in the cross fire of the Fedreal Governmnet, the Vampire Rights lobby and the Insurance lobby. They had managed to enact bit's and pieces of legislation that didn't quite form a full picture yet. The federal government, on the other hand, had accomplished more.

You see, by federal law, a vampire must register within a week of being turned, and the state governments are required to do everything in their power to facilitate the process. In CT you can't register as a Vampire unless you have been declared dead as human. To be declared dead as human , you must have "passed" as the result of an authorized cause of death. They will then issue a death certificate . They are one of a handful of states that still issue death certificates for the newly turned. Mine listed the cause of death as exsanguination, which happens to be on the approved list. "Turned into a vampire" hasn't made it as an official cause yet because they are still debating whether it would fall under the classification of a suicide (since anyone foolish enough to cavort with vampires was essentially seeking thier death actively) or a homicide, since technically someone was killed by another "individual".

What they have implemented in the interim, is that if you were turned willingly or as the result of an accident involving a spouse, lover or significant other, you are listed as a suicide. If it happened unwillingly, the cause of death is listed as a homicide as a result of exsanguination. In cases of homicide, you are required to provide all the relevant information to the police so they can conduct an investigation. Officer Maynard had stopped by to take my statement the day after I reported the crime.

Interestingly enough, since the people who legally defined the word corpse two hundred years ago were anal retentive enough to specify it had to be inanimate, no corpse can be produced for my homicide, so the state can't prosecute the "murderer". Naturally, that part of the definition for corpse has been waived when it comes time to issue the death certificate, which also requires the production of a corpse. If it wasn't waived, the state of CT would be out of compliance with Federal Law. The state of CT makes it a priority to stay in compliance with Federal laws because Federal funding is contingent upon their compliance. They have gone so far as to have implemented a fast track program for the newly undead.

How this all played into making me a wealthy woman is two fold. First, my life insurance policy was obliged to pay as long as a valid death certificate was presented and the death was not a suicide. Second, the federal government had passed a law at the behest of the vampire lobby stating that if you were a vampire you retained all of your assets regardless of whether or not you had a will. It also stipulated that for any items that required beneficiaries the vampire became the de facto beneficiary.

According to my research, this was passed so that the newly turned wouldn't loose their 401k's and pensions but there were so many different retirement products out there that the language in the law had been stated as " any thing that stipulates a beneficiary". Consequently, my retirement fund was being direct deposited into my account tomorrow( along with two years of severance pay - once my lawyer got a hold of the HR department it was determined this was the best course of action. I don't know why my employer paid it. After all, according to the public records I had been murdered) and the insurance company had to pay me as the de facto beneficiary of my policy. Turns out a similar set of unlikely circumstances applied to the insurance I took out to pay off my mortgage if I kicked the bucket. So financially, I was sitting pretty. I'll have to pay taxes on it all, but I wasn't expecting it so I really don't mind. I know it's a scam, but I didn't make up the rules and for once the "dilbertness" of our esteemed institutions worked to my advantage.

The cherry on the sundae is this next little bit. Turns out the insurance companies lobbied for and got a law passed that made it possible for them to seek restitution from a responsible party in the event they had to pay out a claim on a life insurance policy for a newly turned vampire. Ever on the look out for potential fraud, they also lobbied with the full support of the vampires to have a law passed stipulating that the responsible party could not receive any monetary contributions or gifts in excess of $100 dollars in a fiscal year from the beneficiary of the claim. So essentially, Mr. Chow was going to have pay the life insurance company the $400,000.00 dollars and the mortgage insurance company the $150,000.00 they paid me because the state of Connecticut was still issuing death certificates for vampires and classifying them as homicides. He also couldn't touch a dime of my money until he paid them back. Ouch! That would teach him to run around turning his unsuspecting coffee dates into vampires.

I was sitting there gloating when the phone Tak gave me started making a dinging sound. Text message. "Call Me". It was tempting to do that. I don't know what it was about him, but he really got under my skin and it was't entirely in a bad way. I kept having falshbacks to our makeout session. I wondered if something important was going on. I decided to listen to the voice mails he had been leaving. They basically were all along the lines of "hey, hope you are doing ok call me if you need anything" . The one he left tonight said, "call me, its important". Maybe I should find out what he wanted. I was debating what I should do as I microwaved some true blood when the phone started dinging again. "Open your door" this one said.

I looked out my window but there wasn't a car outside. Another ding, "NOW" ,

I headed to the back door muttering "Doesn't anyone know how to knock anymore". Sure enough there was Tak, holding a white rose, a bottle of Royalty blended and a smile that could melt an igloo off an iceberg.

Our Fangs extended, clothes went flying, and I finally found something out I had never wanted to know. You really can see what's going on in my kitchen from the road when you are in a moving car. Apparently our little activities had distracted a driver and caused a three car pile up on rte 44. When we heard the collision Tak pushed me to the floor and hastened the pace. I'd never been into biting before but then again, I'd never been into random sex with people I barely knew before either. At the "magic moment" I bit his shoulder and somehow he managed to lift my torso and bite my back just under my shoulder blade. We didn't have time to cuddle, we could hear the sirens so we scurried into the hallway (where there weren't any windows), and got dressed in great haste.

It wasn't long before I saw Officer Maynard walking up my drive way. Tak and I walked out to meet him.

"Good Evening" he said.

" Hi, officer Maynard" I replied. An awkward silence followed. Eventually he worked up the nerve to ask some questions. He just wanted to confirm what the drivers said had caused the accident.

" You are lucky I don't write you a citation," it was weird because when he said that I suddenly saw two of him. There was him, looking at me with stern irritation, and then there was another him sniggering away even though he wasn't making a sound. "Ah, yeah, thanks officer, I'll make sure I get some curtains hung up" I replied. We said our goodnights and then Tak and I headed up the driveway.

" Lie to me" I said to Tak once we were back inside.

"why?"

"just humor me, ok? Tell me something that is not true", I wasn't going to offer any explanations.

" ok, you have a great sense of style" he said blandly. Sure enough, there were two of him. There was him and a second Tak making an icky face standing right next to him. Freaky.

Huh, guess I was one of those vamps that had a gift after all. Mine was that I could see how you really felt if you were presenting a façade. I couldn't be lied to. This was great!

" what's wrong with my sense of style?" I asked.

I put the rose in a bud vase while he popped the cork on the Royalty and poured it into two wine glasses.

He handed me one, took my hand and led me to the living room. We sat on the couch and faced each other.

We just looked at each other for a while.

" you are asking me to tell you, so you can't get upset if you hear something you don't like, got it" he said. I had been joking, of course, when I asked him but now I was curious.

" You were in the shower a while the other night so I took a look around. " Ok, not sure I was comfortable with that " I noticed most of your stuff comes from Always nineteen and the stuff that doesn't come from there looks like it belongs in my grandmothers closet. I take it that's what you wore to work"

"yeah, it was, I have to look professional. What's wrong with my fun clothes though? I love that store" , I was getting a little defensive.

" How old are you?" he asked by way of explanation.

The thing I find most irritating about Tak, is that he knows how to make a point and when he does, its usually a good one.

" I am actually glad this came up" he was saying" because I came over here tonight to tell you that Chow is going to summon you tomorrow so we need to go Louisiana." The news didn't shock me. I had read on the internet that a maker could summon their child and if they did you had to go.

I noticed as he was talking that Takeshi Sato's eyes looked just like mine. They looked like liquid amber. My eyes had been a golden brown when I was human but since the change they were an intense amber color and the light played in them the way a flame dances in a fireplace. It was pretty and spooky. I wondered if Chow's eyes would look different now. They had seemed dead when I met him but my vision wasn't the same anymore. Takeshi Sato, he had said not to call him Tak and I wasn't going to call him Takeshi.

" Do you mind if I call you Sato?" I asked.

"Not at all, Maeve. But have you been listening? As I was saying, we have to go to Louisiana and you are going to meet Chow's boss so its important that you are dressed appropriately. I don't know if you know this, but vampires are pretty particular about appearances and you can't meet Eric and Pam in a pair of cut offs and a t-shirt with "Drama Queen" printed across it. Flip flops aren't the best idea either."

I was going to choke on the words I was biting back. I had asked after all, but I loved my collection of t-shirts. They all had little sayings on them. To bad I didn't have my "don't wreck it by talking" t-shirt on tonight.

"I'm just telling you what I think because you asked and I want to help. Now, I know it was presumptuous, but I went ahead and picked up a travel outfit ,and some separates you can mix and match for our trip. You don't have to take them, they are there if you want them" there were two Sato's (a.k.a. Tak;s )again. Calm, non-threatening Sato, and a Sato that was waving a finger at me" I started laughing.

"what?" he looked so adorable when he was bewildered, I found myself inclined to go along with this inspite of myself.

"nothing, tell me how much I owe you. I wouldn't usually appreciate this kind of thing, but it looks like I am all about trying something new tonight."

He smiled and had sense enough not to squabble with me about reimbursing him for the clothes. He reached into his pocket pulled out a receipt from his wallet and handed it to me.

"these must be some pretty nice clothes" I said as I wrote out the check.

" If you can pack some essentials quickly I think we can still make it to Haruko's tonight. I know you are not happy about what happened, but it's a new beginning for you, why not start it off with a whole new look?" Saying I wasn't happy about what happened was a gross understatement, but I let it pass. He really did seem like he was trying to be helpful so I was inclined to be agreable . I packed my stuff, and then we got in my car and headed for Boston

The drive to Boston was informative. For some reason, Sato (a.k.a. Tak) wasn't going to explain, it was important that none of the vampires see our eyes. After visiting Haruko's and getting "the works" I was feeling happy. Our last stop was at an all night optometrist. We picked up some sunglasses for me that Sato said were essential. I thought vampires wearing sunglasses was a pretty ridiculous concept but I sensed this was important to him. He had hooked me up with Haruko, so I just went with the flow.

We also picked up a six month supply of grey contact lenses.

" You can't wear them for more than a couple of hours" Sato was saying "they will melt"

" Is there something you want to tell me? " I asked.

"I will, when the time is right, but for now please just trust me on this Maeve".

"All right, but I hope the time is right soon, Sato" the strange thing about it was I did trust him. There was something going on here and it was more than just sex. I know it sounds kind of cliche but I did really feel a sort of connection with him.

" We all have secrets Mae-chan. If we play our cards right you will know all of mine. I wonder if you will tell me yours?" I wasn't sure what he was getting at, so I just let the comment pass.

We checked into a hotel that had accomodations for vampires near the airport. He didn't ask for seperate rooms and neither did I so we ended up sharing a room tht night. We were spooning when dawn broke.

The next night we were at the airport waiting to board the plane, and people were staring at us. Sato was wearing a pair of black leather pants, a white t-shirt, cowboy boots and a Stetson. I was wearing a red and cream silk kimono dress with an extra wide black leather obi belt and what I can only describe as a pair of black patent leather stripper shoes. We both had the purple sun glasses on, and I felt totally ridiculous. I am sure I would have blended right in and felt comfortable if I had been wearing my own clothes. I couldn't tell if people were staring because they had never seen a six foot three Asian man in leather pants and a Stetson or if it was because we were wearing sunglasses at night in an airport. They looked attracted and creped out at the same time. I looked down at my feet and decided I would dress myself from now on.

" Your snake necklace looks nice with that dress, it draws attention to your long neck" he whispered in my ear and began nuzzling my neck. " People are staring at us" I said, I couldn't seem to get past that observation. My comment seemed to toss some ice water on whatever was smoldering under his hood. He nipped at my neck playfully and then pulled away and began reading a book written in what I guessed was Japanese. Fortunately, a heart beat later boarding started.

Once we were on the plane I just stared out the window and watched the darkness float by. My mind began to wander and wonder. It sucked that I was going to have to see Chow again. I wondered if the insurance company had been in touch with him yet. I wondered why he wanted to see me. I wondered why we couldn't let the vampires see our eyes. I wondered how Sato had managed to bite me below my shoulder blade when he I was biting his shoulder. His neck didn't seem abnormally long. I wondered if women vampires ever joined N.O.W. and burned uncomfortable shoes like the ones I was wearing. I had run out of things to wonder about by the time the plane landed.

The Louisiana air felt balmy and smooth, like a fleece blanket. People around me were talking with a cadence I wasn't accustomed to, but it was pleasant. It felt good. I can't explain why but it felt more laid back, friendlier here than at home. A breeze was blowing, flirting with my hair ,and I felt like anything was possible. We had not been standing there very long when we spotted the driver they sent for us. He was standing next to a black Escalade holding a sign that said "SATO Party" . Once we got our bags loaded in, Sato hoped up front in the passenger seat. After we had all fastened our seat belts, the driver asked Sato "Where to? The hotel first?"

"Fangtasia" Sato replied, I could see his smile in the rear view mirror. His fangs were showing.


	4. Meet your Maker or Meet the Sheriff

When we got to Fangtasia there was a line at the door. It was a smorgasbord of ethnicities, shapes, sizes, and ages. Most of the people were young and attired in the modern interpretation of the non-conformist uniform. You know, piercings ,tattoos ,leather ,lots of black eyeliner, and asymmetrical hair with electric blue or hot pink highlights. There were also military personnel, and regular folk just out for a night on the town. Whether they were wearing leather, jeans, cargo shorts, or a pair of chinos the only color you saw was black. The line of people added to the seedy charm of the bar's exterior. It wasn't a place I would hang out at if I were still human (having outgrown the bar scene back in college) but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel anticipation about checking it out now. The neon lips with the word Fangtasia scrawled upon them were beckoning to me with all the promise a wantons smile held for a sailor returning from a sea voyage that had lasted to long.

We spotted Chow standing by a group of people loitering around an ashtray. The smell of cigarette smoke brought forth an involuntary sigh. For obvious reasons I wasn't glad to see Chow but I have to acknowledge he looked good in an in -your-face sexy kind of way. He was wearing jeans, red snake skin cowboy boots, a black leather vest and his magnificent body art. His right side was propped against the wall, and he was leaning into a blond with a Jayne Mansfield physique wrapped in a black mini, fishnets, and a deep v neck Hello Kitty t-shirt . Hello Kitty had a three inch safety pin over her right eyebrow.

When Chow spotted us he didn't break eye contact, but he continued whatever it was he was doing with Hello Kitty girl. I hoped he was whispering something into her ear but it looked more like he was sticking his tongue in there and rolling it around. We had almost reached him when he broke away, kissed her forehead and nudged her toward the group of smokers. For a second I thought he might slap her ass.

"Sato"

"Chow"

They nodded at each other in greeting.

"Maeve " Chow purred seductively, " the change certainly suits you" he nodded and looked at me expectantly. Did he think I was going to acknowledge him, or thank him for a compliment that alluded to the fact he was the perpetrator of my homicide? I just stood there and let my silence speak on my behalf. Chow grinned and shook his head a little. " you can't hold a grudge forever " he said playfully, "Come on" He took my hand within his bone crushing grip and led me in the direction of the front door.

"Eric's meeting someone right now so we have enough time to grab a drink while you guys wait to check in." Chow was saying to Sato.

On the ride over , Sato had explained to me that Eric, Chow's boss, was the Sherriff in Shreveport. All vampires are required to check in with him at Fangtasia when they arrive. It had seemed very open minded to me, that the folks in Shreveport would elect a Vampire sheriff . And almost incredible that they would let him conduct official business from his bar, but the folks down south are pretty laid back from what I hear so I figured it was just a southern thing. When I shared these observations with him in the car, Sato clarified that Eric was the vampire's sheriff and had nothing to do with human law enforcement. He had also noted that Eric's wasn't an elected position. As we walked towards the entrance I thought about the implications of Eric being the sheriff. So the Vampires had their own legal system, hmmm…..

We were at the entrance now, Chow nodded to the vamp at the door and guided us inside. A band was playing and the dance floor was packed. I liked the music, although I can't really describe the sound of it. It was the kind of sound that brought to mind images of steaming outdoor candlelight baths, harem dancing and Masquerade balls held in a maze . Mesmerized by it, I don't remember how we got to the booth or when we sat down. It wasn't until Chow came back to the table with some bloods that I realized I wasn't walking anymore.

Since I didn't feel like making small talk with the guy who killed me, and this wasn't the place or the time to delve into the issues we needed to sort out, I started looking around. The interior of Fangtasia was a kaleidoscope of black, red, and grey. There were pictures of silver screen vampires hung on the walls and signs that warned about biting and loitering, and assumed risk. I looked to see if there was one that said "No Stakes on the premises" but if it was there I didn't find it.

We weren't the only vampires in the place , I counted five or six others. A couple of them appeared to be working but the rest were there to socialize. They were surrounded by human entourages. When they caught me looking at them we nodded at each other in acknowledgement.

Everywhere I looked I saw some doubles, or AU's (alternate you) as I had started to think of them. There were a lot of duplicitous beings in this place. The air was permeated with a heady mix of power, lust, greed , need and fear. It was so thick you could almost see it. "Lambs to the slaughter" I thought and I could feel my fangs extending. I was practically smacking my lips together, in response to something I didn't quite understand when Sato pushed me out of the booth and had me through the "Employees Only Door" Chow was holding open before I could say "what the?"

He didn't set me down until we were in a room with a microwave, a table, and a bulletin board displaying the OSHA guidelines. The Employee break room.

" That was close" Chow said.

Just then a six foot five Viking with incredible hair wearing jeans and a T-shirt appeared briefly at the door. " Follow me" we heard him say. He didn't wait to see if we followed, he was heading down the hall. We followed him. The Sheriff, Eric Northman, was the kind of man you just knew had never heard the word "no" from a woman. It was more than his appearance, and believe me he is a striking man, there was something so intensely masculine about him. He exuded a lively and powerful energy.

His shoulders were broad and strong but not in a "he-man action figure" sort of way. His muscles were probably just as powerful but they were lean, and they gave his body a natural elegance. His torso tapered into a V and you would have to posses the shriveled up libido of a 95 year old Victorian spinster not to admire the rear view of the Sheriff in his jeans. I was looking so hard I could almost identify the thread count of the denim.

"See something you like back there? " he asked, looking over his shoulder. His voice was condescendingly playful.

If I could have blushed my skin would have been the same shade as my kimono. Sato looked at me sideways, I pretended to be enthralled with the pattern of water stains on the ceiling tiles . When we reached Eric's office, he motioned to the chairs in front of the desk and went around to take his seat .

"Sato, good to see you again. " Eric said and nodded. His eyes were sapphire blue.

" Eric, it's been too long " Sato said and nodded in reply, " Allow me to introduce Ms. Michaels"

" Yes, Chow's child" Eric interrupted and nodded my way. I nodded back , relieved he hadn't said "yes, the woman who was just ogling my ass" His lips looked kind of full for a Vikings.

" Take your sunglasses off , I like to see who I am talking to" this was directed at Sato. He still had his on. I had taken mine off and popped the contacts in when I was sure the driver wasn't looking. Eric's request made me anxious, I hoped Sato had put his contacts in. But when Sato took them off, I could see his amber eyes were a-showing and a-glowing. It was disappointing that he wasn't more on the ball. Anyone could have anticipated this might happen. After the fuss he had made about concealing our eyes I half expected the S.W.A.T. team to come in and throw us to the ground. Oddly, it appeared to be a non event.

If the Sheriff found anything shocking or interesting about Sato's eyes he wasn't giving any indication of it . Since I didn't suddenly his AU appear, I was pretty confident he could have cared less about our swirly amber eyes.

" What brings you to Shreveport?" the question was directed at Sato. The Sheriff knew of course, but he seemed to be following some kind of protocol.

" I accompanied Ms. Michaels to meet her maker"

Eric ( the Sheriff) was jotting something down into a logbook.

"and how long do you anticipate being in the area?"

" A couple of weeks at least, if you have no objection" Sato answered.

"Very well, be sure to stop in again before you go, old friend. We have catching up to do"

"Yes, we do" Sato said and smiled.

I waited for him to ask me how long I was staying. I only planned to stay in the area until tomorrow night or the night after that at the latest. I was only here because Chow was going to summon me anyway and I thought it might give me a chance to find out from him why he had turned me. I had no desire to be here when Chow found out about the insurance and the rest of it. Better to be in CT, he could direct any inquiries to my lawyer.

You know, when you consider that Chow and I knew each other for all of 15 minutes its pretty ridiculous that it had come down to restitution and lawyers. You would have thought we had been married and were going through a nasty divorce. It was like doing the time, having never done the crime.

When Eric started talking again it was to Chow.

" Chow, Clancy wants to talk to you before you leave, Sato you remember Clancy, don't you? "

" Yes, I would like to see how he's doing"

"Go ahead, there are a few details I need to work out with Ms. Michaels. She will join you at the bar when we are done."

Chow and Sato left and I was alone with the Sheriff. I can never think of anything to say to men I find incredibly attractive so we just sat there for a moment in silence. I was still waiting for him to ask me how long I was staying, I had assumed the details we needed to workout were related to that.

He leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands. His body language made me nervous.

"Chow tells me you are in need of an alliance and employment. It is my pleasure to be in a position to offer you both Ms. Michaels. I have an excellent opportunity for you "

I wasn't sure what he meant by an alliance but I had prepared what I considered to be a diplomatic response , on the off chance any talk of employment came up during my visit to Shreveport.

" It is very kind of you to offer and if I lived in Louisiana I would consider it , but I have no plans to relocate. I like CT. "he didn't look persuaded so I added," In fact ,I am currently on a sabbatical so I am not even on the job market. "

" You misunderstand, I am not asking you to consider it. I am telling you I have an alliance for you and excellent employment opportunity "

I pretended not to "get " that he saying the matter was settled, and my acceptance was a given.

" Well that's nice, thanks again, but I think I have been clear. I plan to be in your area until tomorrow night by the way" I gave him a smile that I hoped conveyed appreciation, regret and professionalism and waited a moment for him to acknowledge he understood. When he didn't say anything and moved a piece of paper from one side of his desk to the other, I took the hint and got up to go.

" We are not finished yet" he said. His voice was calm but something about it would have made any rational person sit back down .

As I stood there in this office- in a state I had never wanted to visit, wearing a dress I didn't pick out for myself ,contact lenses that were beginning to sting, and shoes I wouldn't be caught dead in- I had another one of my epiphanies. This wasn't about working in a vampire bar or whether or not we were finished talking. This was about passively letting people take over your life one inch at a time, and I didn't feel like giving up any more inches.

"Please sit down" he motioned to the chair. This was not said as a request, but rather a command. I was starting to try his patience.

I looked at the chair. My mother told me once that a person should start a relationship as they mean to continue it. I had started my relationship with these vampires as a doormat. If I sat in that chair now, I might as well roll over and play dead. It would be the equivalent of me saying "yes, by all means - change my life status, tell me what to wear, where to work, who to form alliances with, where to live - I accept you have the right to do this"

I had been too passive. I should have made Chow come and get me - not just hopped on a plane because I thought he would or could anyway. I should have told Sato I wasn't wearing contact lenses until he explained why my eyes mattered. For that matter, I should have told Sato that I was wearing my own clothes and I could give a Rats Ass what the undead thought of as appropriate attire especially since they seemed to think stripper shoes somehow met the criteria.

Why was I waiting for explanations from Chow, or Sato or any one else when their reasons didn't matter? Why was I hoping they would allow me a voice when it was my choir? I am an American Citizen after all, I have certain inalienable rights, and among them are the right to decide where I live, where I work , and whether or not I want to sit or remain standing.

I mentally girded my loins, was I going to do this? Was I going to literally make my stand?

" I'll stand thank you, and I believe we are done." short and sweet.

I had just turned to go when I found my ass firmly planted on the seat of the chair. The Sherriff was grabbing my shoulders and pushing me down with a calm expression on his face. The sight was more disturbing than seeing a 70 year old woman with an orange spray tan, bouffant hairdo and blue eye shadow. I am making light of it, but let me tell you I was so scared my knees were practically knocking together. I had started on this path though, and I wasn't backing down.

" A request from your sheriff is a command. You are visiting here, but you still have to comply. I told you we weren't done and to be seated. That means you sit down and listen." I was to stunned by the word "command" to say a word, he must have taken my silence as the beginnings of compliance because he continued," Now, I am going to let you go, and you will stay in this chair until I have explained the reality of your situation to you, or you will face the consequences of your insubordination." his face was uncomfortably close to mine as he said this. When he finished talking he released my shoulders.

I was back on my feet before he was on the other side of the desk.

He didn't want to hurt me. I can't say why I was sure he wasn't someone who took pleasure in brute force. It was to bad really that this ugly scene had to be played out with him in it, I liked the Sheriff. I wish I had my epiphany sooner, because of all the vampires in my acquaintance (3) I had chosen the most powerful to take a stand against. It wasn't his title that made me say that, Eric oozed power. But I guess sometimes you just have to be pushed to your limit. And he was the one that had done that, the moment he made it sound like I was going to work here whether I was inclined to do so or not.

"Sit Down!" He yelled. Always one impatient to drive things to their inevitable conclusions, I replied to this last command by remaining on my feet and flipping him the bird.

As I felt the silver burning my wrists and ankles I heard them hammer the lid on my coffin shut. I was in pain but I can't say that I had any regrets. After this little episode, I was pretty sure I was in no danger of ending up on the sheriffs payroll . So essentially, even if it didn't seem that way at the moment, I had won.

"First offense, he said a week should do it" I don't know who said that but the person who answered "Thank you, please call me when its time and I will come release her" was Sato. Then I heard Chow and Sato bickering in Japanese, and Eric muttering something. I couldn't hear everything he said but I made out the words "sorry it had to be like this", " she flipped me the bird", ""stupid", and " why don't you have your child under control?"

The pain was getting pretty intense. I closed my eyes and imagined I was sitting at my piano playing scales.

I just focused on this image and listened to the notes in my imagination until the image gave way to a black tunnel with rays of light in different colors flying by. I let myself join the lights streaming by and lost awareness of myself.


	5. Back in the Coffin or Chow's Story

Back in the Coffin

I had been dimly aware of the sound of cracking wood but I wasn't brought back into the present moment until my eyes were blinded by an explosion of light. Had I been there an hour? A day? Since I faded into the black tunnel , time had ceased to be a concept. The best way I can describe the state I had been in is to call it stasis. Coming out of Stasis is a gradual process, its not like flicking a light switch. You aren't off one moment and on the next. At first my thoughts were limited to a set of disconnected and vague notions. I had a vague notion of fear, the sun, burning. As my eyes began to adjust to the light and focus, the notions became coherent thoughts and the nothingness of stasis was filled with awareness. The light was coming from a light bulb and my flesh was burning because I had silver chains wrapped around me.

Eric was standing in front of me , holding a crow bar with a shocked expression on his face. I heard an intense and very low whisper, it sounded like the word "Fox". Then , in a blink, it was dark again and the only sound was that of the coffin being nailed shut. Fox? It seemed an odd thing to say, maybe I heard wrong and he had dropped the f-bomb, but that didn't make any sense either. I mean, I couldn't have looked bad enough to warrant expletives and having the coffin door slammed in my face right? On the other hand, I did feel like crap so it might be possible.

"Get Chow" Eric said to someone. Then there was the sound of clacking, and a door closing. After a moment there was no sound at all.

The present moment isn't always the best moment to be in. It's all good when you are sitting around meditating, breathing in and out in the comfort of your living room, but it sucks when you are stuck in a coffin with nothing to see, nothing to hear, and nothing to do except feel your flesh burning. I tried to get back into stasis, but as I mentioned before its not a switch you can just flick on and off, and it wasn't happening.

After what seemed like an eternity but may have just as easily been five minutes, I heard the clacking sound again and the high pitched squeak of rubber soles being dragged across a concrete floor. I was so happy for the distraction I could have cheered. It wasn't hard to guess what scene was unfolding out there. It was pretty obvious. And if there was any doubt ,the sound of a hammer hitting wood confirmed that the Sherriff had another prisoner.

" He's making a mistake, I didn't know! " I heard Chow yelling over and over. When he stopped a sexy female voice purred , " Sure you didn't " then there more of that clacking sound ( high heels on a concrete floor) , and I heard a door being shut and a bolt being thrown.

" Chow, is that you?" I asked.

"Yes" he answered.

" Are you chained in silver and inside a nailed coffin?" it was an asinine question but I asked it anyway.

" I would think that should be obvious " was his reply, the tone of his voice telegraphing the word "moron"

"What's going on?"

"You'll find out soon enough, but it wont be from me" this was said with an attitude, after a second he added in a more conciliatory tone" It's complicated".

Why did it not surprise me that he wasn't going to be forthcoming with any information? Unabashed, I pressed on. I was desperate to keep this conversation going, the pain was getting unbearable.

" So, have you been in jail before?" I know, lame.

"No, this is my first time " he sounded like he was in pain. I don't know if it was the silver or my conversation.

" You mean as a vampire right? I am sure you did time when you were human, being a Yakuza and all"

" That was just my screen name, I was never a member of the Yakuza."

" but the tattoos….." I started, this time he interrupted me.

" In my time, the tattoos were not yet associated explicitly with the Japanese Mafia, as they are now. They were very popular, as a result of Shinpen Suikogaden, especially among people in my line of work who often got them for ornamentation and spiritual protection. " he said matter-of-factly.

" Shinpen who? Never heard of him, What line of work were you in?" I asked.

" I was a Hikeshi, a Machi-Bikeshi to be exact and the Shinpen Suikogaden was not a person , it was my favorite book, everyone loved it and it started a tattoo craze" he said.

" Oh" I wasn't sure what a Hikeshi machi-bikeshi was or how a book could start a tattoo craze, Chow anticipated my next question and started talking again.

He went on to relate that he was a fire fighter, that is what Hikeshi means. Now this might sound a little mundane, but he clarified that during the Edo period, when he was alive, the Hikeshi were among the hero's of the day. The Machi-Bikeshi in particular were loved by the "common folk" and had a collective reputation of being a bunch of wild and courageous ruffians, who performed great feats of bravery, got falling down drunk , and whose virility and stamina could be depended upon by the women of their acquaintance whose numbers were many and always growing. He had joined the undead somewhere around the year 1820.

"How did it happen?" I asked.

" Well, it started pretty much the way all these stories start " he said sardonically. " We had just stopped a fire from spreading and burning a quarter of the city down so were feeling festive. We headed down to the house we liked to visit, and spent the evening drinking sake, listening to music, playing go, and in other manly pursuits. It was quite a party. I was tied up with Fumiko, my favorite at this house. She had skin like a cherry blossom, and her hair was black and glossy like a ravens wing. The best part of her was her hands" he paused , his voice had been filled with the warmth and the longing of remembered pleasure when he started talking about Fumiko. After a moment he continued.

" Anyway, I was tied up with Fumiko and didn't realize everyone else had left. Even a Hikeshi avoided being on the streets alone late at night, but there was no way around it. Men weren't allowed to stay overnight at the house, so I left and headed back to my quarters. All the lights were off, and people were sleeping. The night was quite except for the sound of wind chimes being played by the breeze. Out of nowhere a young woman appeared. At first I thought it was Fumiko but this woman was to tall. She had a long black veil wrapped around her head and across her face, it was dancing around her in the wind. It was so long it looked like a flag . As I got closer to her I noticed that her skin was unnaturally pale, and that it wasn't a veil around her at all but her hair . When she removed the strand that had covered most of her face, I saw she was beautiful. She looked like a living doll. The next thing I remember is my excitement when she threw me to the ground , her expression was so hungry and eager. I was smiling at her when I felt her fangs sink into my neck." he stopped telling his story.

"What happened next? " I asked.

"When I came to she told me her name was Oshichi"

I interrupted, " you mean the arsonist? The one that got burned at the stake for setting fire to her city so she could take shelter in the temple and see her lover? " I had seen a Kabuki performance once about this.

"No, it was different Oshichi. How do you even know about the Oshichi the grocers daughter? "

" Never mind, so then what happened?" I asked.

" What always happens, we had dinner and then really fantastic, mind blowing sex. Then she taught me about being a vampire and we traveled around together for just over a century. When we came to America we parted ways."

" Did she tell you why she turned you? "

" I never asked, " Chow said.

" Why did you turn me, Chow?"

"You'll find out soon enough, but it wont be from me" the conversation had come full circle.

Before I could press further we were out of it. It was daytime.

-x-x-x-x

When I came to the next evening the pain was so excruciating the shock of it threw me into stasis.

I wasn't aware of anything until I was brought back into the present moment when my eyes were blinded by an explosion of light. Talk about Deja-vu. This time when my eyes focused there was a red headed vampire holding a crow bar standing in front of me. I didn't know who he was , but he looked vaguely familiar.

He had two humans with him, both women and they were in his thrall. They pulled me out of the coffin and herded me upstairs to the shower. I still had the silver chains on me so it was slow going. When the girls removed the chains ,Red stood between me and them. Which was a good thing because my fangs were extended and I was ready to feed. He handed me a blood, so I would be strong enough to take care of my personal business, then he motioned to the shower and left the room.

I was so weak, when I got in the stall I turned the water on , leaned against the wall, and just slid down to the floor. The water felt good so after a while I got to my feet and started shampooing my hair. The memory of my first shower after the change brought a smile to my face. Too bad they couldn't all be like that one, I thought, sighed and started to rinse.

The soap stung the burns on my wrists and ankles but I wanted to make sure I got them clean, They had stopped bleeding but were still raw and looked awful. When I was sure every part of me was as clean as it could get , I closed my eyes and just stood there until the hot water ran out. Then I picked up a clean towel from a pile on the counter , dried off and wiped the steam off the mirror There was a six pack of blood, and a change of clothes reflected in it. They were on the little table against the back wall. Famished I went over and started chugging. Once the last empty was in the waste basket and my face was cleaned up, I took a look at the clothes.

I recognized them. They were some of the separates Sato had picked up for the trip. He had brought the pieces I said were my favorites: a white cotton halter top overlaid with off white antique lace, a pair of jeans, and nude colored lace up platform ankle boots with open toes that I picked up last year at Nordstorom's semi-annual shoe clearance. My lip gloss and a pony tail holder were at the bottom of the pile. I knew Sato would have come for me if he could have, I knew he had tried to get Eric to let me go. I wasn't sure how I knew, but I just knew.

I got dressed and went back to the mirror to finger comb my hair and put on my lip gloss. I wondered why I looked so much younger since the change. I concluded it was because my skin had lost its pigmentation, so all my age spots and freckles were gone. It seems dying had done what no amount of the bleaching cream could accomplish. Oh, there were still laugh lines around my eyes, but with my hair in a high pony and nothing on but lip gloss I looked like I was in my mid twenties now, instead of my early thirties. Of course I am really forty, so I can't say I wasn't pleased- I am a product of a youth obsessed society after all.

I had just finished zipping my boots when the door opened, and Red came in , "Where's Chow?" I asked.

" You will see him soon enough" Red said. He hadn't really answered my question, but something about the way he said it assured me that Chow was still among us and that was what I had been anxious to know so I let it go. Red was examining my wrists and ankles. They had healed quite a bit , the skin was growing back over the wounds, and you wouldn't have known I had been injured except they still looked a little red and felt tender.

" It'll do. Come on. We can't keep them waiting any longer" I followed him to Eric's office.

The scene we walked into in Eric's office was surreal, even for a vampire. Chow, Sato, Eric, and a beautiful blond vampire ( who I found out later was Pam) were all being read the riot act by an ancient four foot nine Japanese woman in a green and black kimono. Her countenance was benign and heart warming , her steely grey hair was piled high on her head in a loose bun, and her voice so melodic I would have named her utterances "The symphony of the Angry Japanese Grandmother" .

The vampires all wore expressions appropriate to children being chided for having their hands caught in the cookie jar . Their AU's betrayed their real feelings, but apparently they weren't in a position to tell the old woman to the shut the f- up. At the sight of it all , I almost burst out laughing.

She was speaking Japanese so I would have had no idea what she was saying , if it hadn't been for the fact a man , who looked an awful lot like Mr. Miagi in a business suit, was translating and ( I suspect) editing for the benefit of the non-Japanese speaking life forms in the room.

" This is totally unacceptable, you have violated the treaty and if she is not brought here immediately….." The clone of Miagi stopped in mid sentence when Red and I walked through the door. The little old lady ran over to where I was standing and began inspecting my face so thoroughly I almost expected her to ask me to open my mouth and say "ahhh" so she could get a look at my tonsils.

When her eyes reached my wrists, her face went from benign, albeit stern, to something downright feral. Oh, she was pissed. " Ito-san! Torture! Chained! Silver!" she yelled in English. (Guess she knew a few words after all).

Mr. Ito (aka- clone of Miagi) replied " Calm Down Kitsune-san! Your tail is showing" Ok, that was unexpected. I glanced down and saw what looked like the ends of a couple of fur tails poking out on the side of her right thigh. Availing himself of the momentary distraction to regain control of the situation, Eric began talking.

" I realize how this must look, but let me assure you no one has been tortured. In fact I adhered to the letter of the treaty, once I became aware Ms. Michaels was a member of your community I left her exactly as she was, which happened to be incarcerated as punishment for a crime. Now, it is unfortunate that she was detained when the matter came to light, but rather than dwell on this I propose we get to the larger issue at hand." Eric said this in a tone that was both reasonable and diplomatic, " please, lets all calm down and have a seat. Mr. Catalides will join us momentarily and these proceedings will begin" Mrs. Kitsune sat down and gave the sheriff a look that said, " the balls in your court for now"

Sato came over and took the chair next to mine. He took my hand and traced my cheek bone gently with his index finger.

" Are you ok, Mae-chan? " he asked. His tone was so tender and his eyes were filled with concern and affection. I was overwhelmed. I threw my arms around him and just gave him a hug. He pulled me onto his lap hugged me tighter. It was like we were alone. Like I had arrived home after a an unpleasant journey that had lasted to long. I felt safe and loved with his arms around me. He was the only one who had even bothered to ask me if I was ok. Such a small thing , but it meant the world to me to have one person who cared, who I could trust. It's incredible what knowing there is one person in your corner can do. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

This all takes much longer to tell than it took to happen, as it was going on Mrs. Katsuni was so agitated she started saying something in a voice that was neither soft, nor musical. , Mr. Ito didn't bother translating. I figured she was offended by the fact I was sitting on Sato's lap. It really was too public a display of affection given the circumstances, so recalled to my sense of decorum, I moved back to my chair. But not before whispering into Sato's ear. " I will be now that you are here". Once I was seated, I took his hand in mine and smiled at him. Then turned to face everyone ready to start the "proceedings" . The Sheriff was looking at me and I recognized what I saw in his eyes, it was pity.


	6. Meet the Kitsunes

Mr. Catalides had been unexpectedly detained so Mr. Ito had taken it upon himself to fill us in on some relevant background information. About five minutes into it, I began to suspect the Sheriff had looked at me with pity in his eyes because he knew this lesson in the nuances of Japanese mythology was what was in store.

" Kitsune's are magical Japanese foxes" Mr. Ito was saying. " You, Ms. Michaels are the descendant of a Kitsune and human. That makes you a KO."

" A KO?" I asked.

" It's the term the Kitsune community uses to describe the fruit of their human pairings. The fruit of Kitsune and Kitsune pairings are called children. The fruit of human pairings are called Kitsune Offspring, or KO's for short"

I really hoped this wasn't going where I thought it was going. The last thing I wanted to hear was a story about bestiality. In an attempt to cut to the quick and skip the details I said, " Ok, so Mrs. Kitsune must have been an original KO and that is why she sprouted a tail, but I am a diluted KO so that is why I knew nothing about this until now, is that about right?" Sato was tracing letters in the palm of my hand. I- M-I-S-S-E-D- U. aww, that was so sweet.

" No you are not understanding Ms. Michaels. Mrs. Kitsune" Mrs. Kitusune interrupted him. " She tells me you are to call her Obachan" he translated. I nodded, and he continued" Obachan, is a Kitsune. KO's are completely human in anatomy. They cannot change shapes, but are usually possessors of great physical beauty, remarkable health and if they are male they tend to be of large build and stature."

This last remark caused me to look a the six foot three Japanese man who was tracing I-W-A-N-T-U-N-O-W in the palm of my hand. Ok, I guess Sato was KO. Wait he was a vampire, he had been turned, so did that make him a TKO? You know for turned KO.

Oblivious to my internal monologue and the activities in my hand, Mr. Ito was still talking, "

They are mortal, and human. Completely human in everyway except one, they have the most negligible trace of the Kitsune magic in them. The most powerful sorcerers and bravest Samurai in Japanese history were KO's" He paused here to make sure I was paying attention.

" I don't see how what you are saying is even physically possible, and to be blunt, Mr. Ito , I find it disturbing that you would suggest people are having intercourse with foxes." I said , hoping to cut this ridiculous conversation to an end. There was an audible intake of breath, but he continued.

" Naturally, they are not having relations in their fox form. You are distracted or you would have heard me tell you that Obachan is a Kitsune, and you can clearly see she is in her human form. "

"Oh, you have a point" I said.

"Until about two hundred years ago, Kitsune routinely impersonated humans. Most of them did it for a short period of time to have a little fun, but some established ties in the human community in the role of teachers and philosophers. There were others who married and had children. The humans they married usually never realized they were married to a magical fox. There had been a few incidents where circumstances caused the fox to inadvertently reveal itself by showing its tail or suddenly displaying their fur. You saw that happen earlier with Obachan, but if hadn't been for that humans would have been none the wiser about our existence. " Mr. Ito stopped for air.

Sato was tracing R-U-W-E-T on my hand. I traced back, E-W-W-P-E-R-V. Mr. Ito resumed.

" The treaty was negotiated on behalf of the KO's. Although there weren't very many of them to begin with and their numbers are always dwindling. You see, a vampire would never attempt to feed upon or turn a Kitsune. Even if they tried to, it couldn't be done. The Kitsune's very nature makes it impossible. They aren't human. But the KO's are a different matter entirely" he looked at me expectantly.

" I see" I said.

" For the most part if you are a KO , you would have no way of knowing this, unless a Kitsune appeared to you and told you. That happens so rarely it would almost be safe to say it doesn't happen. The only thing out of the ordinary for KO's is that no matter what misfortune they meet with, it somehow turns to their advantage. Also, it impossible for KO's to find love with someone other than a Kitsune or KO" at this my ears perked up a little.

So that's why I was relationship challenged. It wasn't the result of some deep rooted interpersonal issue, it was just part of my DNA.

At this point the phone rang and when Eric was done talking he let us know that Mr. Catalides was not going to be able to join us this evening. We could all go, but should be there the next night, at just after sunset. Chow was meeting Hello Kitty girl and was gone as soon as Eric finished his sentence. Obachan wanted me to go with her and but they weren't staying at a hotel that could accommodate someone with my special needs and I refused to spend in the day in a coffin. Based on a few facts I had picked up here and there I realized that for the last 3 weeks- well minus the night I was up talking to Chow- that's where I had been, inside a coffin in stasis .

It was agreed that I would go with Sato as he was staying at a hotel that catered to Vamps. Obachan didn't look happy about it, but it was what it was. I on the other hand was ecstatic that Sato and I were going to have some alone time. Fortunately Obachan's hotel and Sato's hotel were on opposite sides of town so we didn't have to share a ride. I didn't know what the deal was, but Sato was definitely "Persona non grata" in Obachan's book, and I am sure if they we had shared a ride the situation would have gotten a little furry.

Once Sato and I were in our room, he went about the business of showing me just how much he missed me. He showed me, twice. We were basking in the afterglow when my thoughts turned to the "proceedings" and I started to wonder about this treaty. I asked Sato what he knew about it, but he slid the covers down and began to kiss my ankles.

"Stop" I was laughing. " That tickles". He moved past my ankle, kept going up my shin. I shivered with anticipation when he reached my knee. About three quarters of the way up my thigh his fangs came out and he bit. " Tease" I said, holding back a moan. This caused him to look up at me from under his lashes. Seeing him like that, with his fangs in my thigh, his eyes clouded over with erotic pleasure was too much for me, I "crested the wave" as they like to say in the romance novels I am so fond of reading. Without removing his fangs, he positioned his thigh by my mouth so that I could return the favor, I bit and drew hard, and then he crested it too and I ended up coming along for the ride.

Exhausted and sated, the proceedings and treaty weren't even a blip on my radar. We fell asleep spooning.

The second day of the proceedings Mr. Catalides, who is the attorney for the vampires joined us. Since the attorneys for both factions where present -Mr. Ito is the attorney for the Kitsune's , things got started.

The crux of the matter was that my having been turned and my subsequent appearance in Shreveport had dropped and International and Inter- Sup incident on Eric Northman's doorstep. When it was all said and done I had a newfound respect and admiration for the Sheriff of area five. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Essentially, the treaty in question had been negotiated by the Vampires and the Kitsune's after there had been an "incident" roughly 300 years ago. As Mr. Ito had alluded to the other day, the incident involved the turning of a KO. Until my turning it had been the only documented case of such an event.

The terms of the treaty were clear, if a vampire ran across a KO aforementioned vampire was to leave said KO as they found them. I think the spirit of the treaty had meant alive and unharmed as opposed to chained in silver in a coffin, but the penalty of failing to comply was severe so I could excuse the Sheriff for being so literal. The penalty for violating this point in the treaty was that the vampire determined to be ultimately responsible for the attack on or turning of the KO had to meet the sun. Their was only one case where the penalty had been enforced and the vampire who met the sun was the one whose actions had necessitated the treaty.

The Kitsune didn't really take an active interest in the KO's but they found the thought of their offspring being turned into blood-sucking predators unacceptable and unpalatable to their refined sensibilities. That was their reason for getting involved. They were the wielders of very powerful magic so the Vampires didn't want to get on the wrong side of them, that was why they were inclined to negotiated.

Vampires, are not indigenous to Japan, hence their notable absence form Japanese lore, and Kitsune don't venture off the islands so it was a treaty that was fairly easy to comply with. They had negotiated some finer points as well . Among them were:

The KO that had been turned (TKO) was prohibited from creating children. The TKO had already made one child but that was before the treaty so it was grandfathered in.

This clause had been added by the Vampires, their reason being that it had become apparent TKO's didn't come over with a full vampire nature. The immutable trace of Kitsune magic the KO's possessed could not change, this was evidenced by the eyes of a TKO. The Kitsune magic was what gave them the appearance of being amber glass with a golden flame dancing behind them, or as some people might describe liquid swirly eyes. The other component missing in A TKO that was an inherent part of a vampires nature was the ingrained acceptance of the Vampire order.

The best way I can put it is that for Vampires to thrive and survive, they needed to be organized. Kind of like bees, they nested, and didn't question the orders of the guy in charge. A pecking order and the acceptance of this was just part of the Vampire DNA. Their make up allowed for social climbing via intrigues and battles but they would never question the system. There weren't any Vampire social reformers, and their society was medieval, feudal and always would be.

A TKO was compelled to obey his maker just like any other vampire, but it retained its ability to be a free thinker and since fox's are naturally free spirit's the TKO's were not inclined to accept the status qou. The last thing the vampire community wanted was a free thinker with an army of children at his disposal to run around shaking things up. So they added this clause.

Another of the finer points of the treaty was that TKO's could not be disciplined in any way by vampires until the matter had been put before the Kitsune council who had the ultimately say.

This point had been negotiated by the Kitusunes because they didn't trust the Vampires wouldn't just deal with the "TKO Question" by staking us, locking us away and throwing away the key , or forcing us to meet the sun. I was surprised the Kitsune had even thought of this as a possibility but it turns out some members of the Kitsune population had thought annihilation was a good answer for their "KO Question" so it had come up before albeit in a different context, and they had concluded wiping out the "problem" was not the Kitsune way.

The facts were presented and the first night was spent debating Eric and Chows involvement and their compliance or noncompliance with the treaty.

Eric went first and presented his facts. After some debate it was agreed that Mr. Northman had not violated the treaty because when he had me thrown into the coffin he had not known I was a TKO since the only way for him to know it had been concealed from him. I was asked to confirm that I had put contacts in my eyes with the express intention of concealing them from Mr. Northman. It was true so I didn't deny it.

It was also agreed that Mr. Northman had complied to the letter, albeit not with the spirit of the treaty, when he left me chained up and in the coffin once he saw I wasa TKO. (The contact had melted)

Mr. Ito pointed out that Mr. Northman might have inferred I was a TKO when I had flipped him the bird. But Mr. Catalides pointed out that these kinds of incidents were on the rise, as modern humans were more likely to have obstinate and suicidal natures than the old stock. He also pointed out that vampires were not mindless drones and had been known to act up from time to time regardless of their nature.

So Eric was exonerated. And they moved on to Chow, which was a slam dunk in my opinion, even though I have to admit I didn't feel it was right he should have to die because he turned me. I mean really, did every vampire know the details of the treaties negotiated with other Sup communities. When I mentioned this last part, I was informed that ignorance of the law does not excuse the breaking of it.

It turns out Chows case wasn't such a slam dunk after all. Chow related that he had turned me because he had been commanded to do so by his maker. There was debate about whether or not he could be held ultimately responsible since he had just been "following orders". Obachan voiced her disbelief that vampires could be commanded by their makers to do anything. That matter was settled by demonstration. You know, Chow could have just asked me to jump up and down and crow like a rooster but that wasn't his style.

" Lick my Tiger " Chow said. Ewww! Everyone in the room got that I was totally disgusted and it wasn't going to happen while I had a choice in the matter. He was pointing at the tiger tattoo that extended from the left side of rib cage to the top of his stomach.

Then he actually snickered and said " I command you" . What happened next settled the matter. I traced the outline of Chow's tiger with my tongue. As gross as the thought of this is, I have to admit that at the time I was getting turned on, it was becoming pretty apparent to me that being a vampire was synonymous to being hot to trot, or rearing to go when it came to sex. When I got to the tigers mouth I rolled my tongue around it for good measure and then somewhat reluctantly pulled away.

During this little exhibition, the AU's had come out in force. The vampires all looked calm but their AU's revealed they were a little turned on. The Kitsunes had their poker faces on but their AU's revealed that they had been sickened by what they saw. Mr. Catalides had no AU and his expression was bland. Sato had no AU and he looked like he was going to rip Chow's tattoo off and grab be my hair and pull me back into the cave. We took a five minute break so everyone could regroup.

" What?" I said to Sato." you know I didn't have a choice"

The set of his jaw clued me into the fact he wasn't buying it. " He said lick, you could have given him a quick flick of the tongue and that would have been enough, instead you….."he just waived a hand in the air and didn't finish.

"oh" I answered. We didn't have time to say more because the proceedings resumed.

The display had settled the matter. Obachan didn't debate the topic any longer and it was agreed that Mr. Chow could not be held ultimately responsible and that the two weeks he had spent chained in Silver while waiting for the Kitune delegation to get to Shreveport was considered time served for his involvement in the matter. He was free to go.

As he was leaving he looked at me with an ear to ear grin and said" You can lick my Tiger anytime you want to Maeve, you don't even have to ask" I don't how everyone else took the comment because I was to busy staring at my toes.

" Well, we will resume tomorrow then" Eric said.

Obachan was rather insistent that I would go with her this night, but I really didn't want to. Her and Mr. Ito enlisted the assistance of Mr. Northman to get me to go. I could tell Eric could give a ratts ass about the sleeping arrangements and wondered why Obachan was obsessed with extending me her hospitability. Realizing that the old battle ax wasn't going to let it go, I finally agreed to go with them because it was getting close to sunrise and we all needed to get settled in ASAP. Their hotel was quite a distance away, so I traveled by coffin to be on the safe side. I was relieved that I wasn't going to have to talk to them.

- the third day

I woke up the third night to the sight of Obachan smiling at me and handing me a true blood.

" This will be the hardest day, you must be strong" she said.

" Hey you speak English perfectly" I said.

" I am a magical fox, do you really think language could be a barrier?"

" Oh. So why pretend?" I asked.

" To amuse myself" She answered and laughed.

" It would do me great honor, if you would appear today in this kimono Mae-chan" She was pointing at a Kimono so elaborate that to call it an article of clothing seemed like a form of blasphemy, it was a work of art.

" Oh, its incredible. I couldn't possibly though" I answered.

" Your refusal dishonors me, you have much to learn about our ways Mae-Chan. Do not argue and put it on. Then I will finish helping you get ready. " You know how sometimes little old ladies have a way of asking you to do something that makes it impossible to refuse? I smiled at her warmly, and did as she asked.

When we got to Eric's office everyone else was there, and Mr. Catalides informed us that we were just waiting for the next witness. The matter should be concluded today.

All the facts had been there staring at me in the face yesterday, but it wasn't until I saw Oshichi

come strolling in , I recognized her from Chows description, that the pieces all fell into place for me.

Sato was A TKO- the only TKO in existence before I had been turned

Sato had a child he lived in Japan at the time so it stood to reason his child was Japanese

Chow's Maker was Japanese

Vampires weren't indigenous to Japan

Oshichi was Sato's child.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I wanted to believe I was jumping to hasty, unfounded conclusions. I clung to the hope that I was wrong. Why would he have done this? I needed to believe that he wasn't the one ultimately responsible. I listened as Oshichi explained why she had commanded Chow to turn me, hoping to hear the piece of information that would clear Sato of my suspicions. When she finished talking and everything she said confirmed my suspicions, I wanted to believe she was lying or that the fact could fit to form a different story. But facts aren't contortionists that bend to suit what we want to believe.

"Please excuse me, I need a moment" I got up from my chair and left the room before anyone could answer or see the single tear of blood that marked the moment my hope had died.

Sato followed me and took me in his arms, but I moved away from him. He opened his mouth to say something, but I held up my hand and motioned him to stop. " Don't. " I said.

Eric had also followed. " Sato, you can't leave the proceedings, return. Now. " he said and Sato was gone.

"Come with me" Eric took my hand and led me into the employee break room which was empty. He wiped away my tear and didn't say anything . He just pulled me into his chest with one arm and kept it wrapped around me. I let myself go limp like a rag doll, but my hands clung to his T-shirt, and he held me up. I just wanted to fall on the ground and roll into a ball. How could I have been so wrong about Sato? I thought he was the one person who I could trust, who cared about me, and he was the one who had been responsible for my change.

Eric just held me, I was grateful he wasn't offering me words of sympathy or comfort. I appreciated that he wasn't asking me if I was o.k. I think I would have lost it if he had done those things. He held me in silence, we stayed like that for a long time. Eventually, I pushed away gently and said " Thank you" . Our eyes met and he leaned down and kissed me. If kisses were flavored by emotion this one would not have been flavored with lust, or attraction, or even affection. It was a kiss for strength, it was like he was pouring strength and courage into me, like he was a soldier giving a fallen comrade what was needed to get up and to go on. We kissed for a long time and when we broke the kiss we headed back to the office without saying a word.


	7. Reprieve

"So that's the last of it Obachan, all that is left to do is load up my coffin and me in the morning" I turned to look at her, she had a black velvet box in her hand.

" This is for you Mae-chan , its from all of us on the Kitsune Council. We wanted you to have something to commemorate your visit here" Obachan handed me the box. When I opened it I saw a single strand of 10mm Mikimoto pearls inside.

"They are beautiful!" I was so overwhelmed by the gesture a tear rolled down my cheek. " Oh, mae-chan please stop that!" Obachan was shoving a hanky in my tear duct. Even after all these months the sight of vampire tears disconcerted the Kitsunes. It's understandable. I gave her a hug. " Careful mae-chan, to tight" she said laughing.

"Thank you Obachan" I said and reached around me to pull out a package I had just finished gift wrapping. " And this is for you"

She unwrapped it and looked at it appraisingly. It was an Ink and water color drawing us standing under a full moon among snow covered mountains. Obachan was painted in her fox form. I had tried to capture my favorite memory on paper. She smiled. I could tell the memory of our trip to the snow country was a happy one.

"Remarkable, you have captured the feeling of that moment. You are skilled" she said .

" If I am skilled, it is because I had you to teach me" I said warmly.

" Come we must find the best place to hang it" so we went and hung the picture. Then we slid the door open and looked out into the night. She sipped her tea, and I played the koto while we talked. This had become our nightly custom during the months I had been here visiting.

For the first time since I arrived in Japan the conversation steered toward the final night of the proceedings. It was only natural it should come up tonight. I was heading to Shreveport the next day for Chow's memorial service. Chow had been killed in a battle against some Were wolves amped up on V-juice and into magic. I guess some folks can't get enough power. They had created all kinds of mayhem, putting a spell on Eric, killing other Were's and extorting wiccan's into helping them. I thought of the man Chow had been before he was turned. As a hikeshi , he had been destined to perform feats of courage. It seemed fitting that he would die his final death in a battle fighting bravely. I guess vampires could cheat death for a time, but not fate.

Obachan and I both agreed Chow wasn't to blame for what had happened to me, and as my maker he at least deserved that I pay him my final respects.

" He will be there" Obachan said. She was talking about Sato, of course.

"I know" I said and kept playing.

"You are all he has left now" Oshichi had died in a fire some anit-vampire fanatics set about a month ago in San Francisco. It was a disturbing trend, these attacks on vampires were increasing and I didn't think we had seen the worst of it yet. So far, there were attacks in at least 31 states, among them Louisiana and CT.

" He has friends, he isn't alone in the world" I pointed out.

" Why did you spare him Mae-chan? I deferred the decision to you so you could avenge yourself" Obachan asked.

When Eric and I had returned to the proceedings, Sato's guilt has been established. Oshichi had been sentenced to two -weeks confinement since that was the punishment Chow received. Sato's punishment was supposed to be him meeting the sun. The vampires had been willing to deliver it but the treaty stipulated that the Kitsune council had to sanction this since he was a TKO. Obachan, as the emissary of the council , had deferred the decision to me.

I stopped playing. Thoughts of that night were still painful. Finally I said, " What he did was messed up but he didn't deserve to die for it" and started playing again.

The fallout from the proceedings had been :

Mr. Chow- 2 weeks chained in Silver and placed in a nailed coffin

Oshichi- 2 weeks chained in silver and placed in a nailed coffin.

Maeve Michaels (me) - 2 weeks chained in silver and placed in a nailed coffin ( the first week of my confinement wasn't related to the treaty)

Takeshi Sato- master mind of the whole scheme, nothing. Not even a slap on the wrist.

Isn't it typical ? What's the saying, " shit rolls down hill". As for me , It seemed my fate was to meet men with boundary issues, and being the bigger person, getting stuck picking up the emotional tab. Sato's case was extreme, but in many ways it was just a variation of a familiar theme. I think I mentioned it before, my guydar is broken. Even being able to see AU's hadn't prevented me from being completely deceived.

Obachan was saying something, and I decided to take a break from my internal pity party to pay attention.

"Things haven't turned out so badly for you. You have made many new friends, traveled, are wealthy, don't have to worry about aging, have supernatural abilities, your business gives every indication it will thrive, and "

"Obachan!" I interrupted" are you saying all is well that ends well? That I should forgive Sato because existence has been infinitely more interesting since I stopped breathing?" no answer.

" I thought you couldn't stand him. Didn't you just say you wanted me to avenge myself? have him meet the sun? You do remember I am dead because of him"

" Are you dead Mae-chan? Do dead people have conversations, play the Koto, whine and complain? Laugh and smile? I did feel that way at the time, but since you didn't…. I just don't want to see you have an eternal loveless existence" she said. This made me laugh, I couldn't help it, "eternal loveless existence " just sounded so melodramatic. The laugh surprised her.

"Obachan, all you said was that KO's couldn't form ties that last with non-Ko's or Kitsune. It might not even apply to a TKO"

"Of course it applies to a TKO, why else would Sato have taken such extreme measures. He had been jumping from relationship to relationship for 300 years and wanted to settle down, Mae-chan."

"A lot of guys want to settle down, Obachan, but they don't run around turning their prospects into vampires. Besides, why is this about him? Maybe I am not ready to settle down. I will spare you the gory details but I am sure some of my, um, activities couldn't have escaped your notice. ( we had been traveling around quite a bit and well people on holiday are less guarded. Lets just say my source of sustenance wasn't strictly bottled anymore) . Making a life time commitment was daunting enough, I can't even imagine the prospect of on an eternal one. I don't think vampires can be monogamous"

"I will never forget the sight of you sitting on his lap. If that isn't love I don't know what is" Obachan's statement was punctuated with an air of authority " all this talk about commitments, monogamy what does that have to do with love? When you love, you love. Everything else falls into place"

" What you saw was me clinging to what I thought was the only friend I had in the world. The intensity of my feelings were probably just the result of post traumatic stress. I had just been chained up in silver for three weeks, after all. And things don't just fall into place. I only knew him a couple of months" this came across more defensively than it should have.

" What does time have to do with love?" she asked. I guess the Kitsune were hopeless romantics at heart.

" We are incompatible" I said this in a tone that would bode no argument.

" You don't know that" Obachan retorted gently.

" I am not compatible with a man who can bite my thigh under false pretenses" I said sharply , then I softened my tone, " Why are we talking about this? I will see him there yes, but even if he is the only man in the world I can love and who could love me, you and I both know there are things that separate us. Things that are hard to overlook. Do I smell something burning?"

" I don't smell anything, so are you going to talk to him?"

" I don't know" I answered. Seeming satisfied, she patted me on the head. " Come, I have something I want you to take for Mr. Northman as a gift from the Kitsune. Please tell him we will always remember the kindness he showed our community, in particular to one member who is also part of his community"

We went to get Eric's gift, and spent the rest of the evening reminiscing about all that had transpired over the past few months. The time I spent in Japan was the happiest of my existence. It had given me a chance to learn about my heritage and to be a part of tight knit community. I had never had that before. When we didn't stay with the Kitsunes, we traveled. We went to the places that were known for being scenic to take in the sights. Most of these places had scenery that was best admired during the day because of the vivid hues.

Obachan took pictures in daytime of the more colorful scenes so I could imagine that was what I was seeing when I stood there and looked at them at night. Without light there is no color. Sure, there is artificial light, but nothing compares to the colors one sees in sunlight. So even though I was there, I didn't get to experience the full beauty of things. But thanks to her pictures, I could almost get the full experience. The one exception had been the snow country.

In my opinion, the full beauty of the snow covered scenes could only be experienced by moonlight. The daytime pictures didn't compare. We spent a great deal of time walking outdoors in the snow country. Obachan usually was in her fox form when we went on our walks, she said that was the best way to experience snow. Her fur was a shinny silver and black. Her nine tails would dance in the cold wind. We walked searching for different vantage points from which to admire the ocean of white that extended into the horizon. Yes, I had been very happy.

The last thing Obachan said to me that night was " A pearl starts with a grain of sand"

_-x_x_x_

Chows memorial service was attended by vampires, Were's , wiccans,, and other humans. Although there weren't any remains to lay to rest, a plot and tombstone had been purchased in the Shreveport cemetery. His empty coffin was interred and the memorial service was held by the tombstone. Those who fought with him in the war talked of his courage and ferocity. The out of town vampires talked of his penchant for fun and for the ladies. Sato remembered him as a loyal friend and talked of their adventures. When it was my turn I remembered him for his wicked sense of humor, and mentioned some of the heroic deeds his fire brigade had been involved in while he had been a part of it. Sato placed a bottle of sake on the tombstone and we lit incense. It was a good service ,I think Chow would have been pleased.


	8. New to the Neighborhood

After the memorial service most people said they were headed back to Fangtasia, I was invited to come but I didn't want to go. As everyone was leaving ,Sato and I made eye contact. He looked liked he had a lot to say but it really wasn't the time or the place so what he ended up saying was,

" Hi, Maeve"

" Hi" we had nodded to each other and I added " I am sorry about Chow" . I didn't wait for a reply and kept walking toward my rental car, anxious to be alone. It was shaping up to be a strange night. Things looked too crisp, too focused and the air felt unnaturally still. It was tinged with sadness. The only thing I wanted to do was get on the road.

I drove up the on ramp and just gunned it. I am not sure how far I had gone or how fast I was going. Watching the white stripes in the road pass by was occupying my senses and replaying scenes from the past few months occupied my mind . There was no sound. Everything was moving except me. T he car felt like it was at a standstill as opposed to flying down a highway. Gnosis by way of Highway hypnosis, that's what I aiming for, and I might have achieved it if I hadn't been brought back to reality by the blue lights flashing in my rear view mirror. The sound of the radio made its way back into my awareness as I pulled over . Then I waited and watched a man with the unmistakable efficiency of movement only a natural athlete can posses get out of the patrol car and make is his way to my window. He shined a flashlight in my face. I noticed he was a little taken aback when he saw my eyes. O'Shaughnessy, that's what was written on his name tag. His eyes were green and he had caramel colored hair.

" Do you know how fast you were going there, little lady?" he stumbled on the last word.

" Um, no officer , I am afraid I don't" I answered.

" Well I have you doing 125.7 mph , the speed limit on this stretch of road is 65" he stopped talking and I wasn't sure what he wanted me to say, so I just looked at him expectantly.

" I'm gonna need your license and registration"

Getting another speeding ticket really wasn't on my agenda for tonight. I knew that being that far over the speed limit was bound to cost me a pretty penny and more importantly points. I was pretty close to having my license suspended as it was. Without thinking, I decided to glamour him.

"You don't really need my license and registration" I said in the best vampire glamoring voice I could muster ( It was my first time trying this)

" I don't " He answered. Yep, it was working he was definitely in my thrall.

" No, you don't. In fact you just need to get back in your patrol car and forget you ever saw me tonight"

" Ok" he said and he did.

That was easy. I was beginning to get the hang of this vampire thing. (Just a note on glamoring, for stronger minds you need to be sure to explain what the repercussions of remembering will be, but I am getting ahead of myself). When I got back to the hotel, I felt dead as a doornail and couldn't wait to crawl into my coffin.

The next night I was in Eric's office, on official vampire business. There was the pending matter of fealty. You see, vampires aren't allowed to be free agents. You have to pledge fealty to another vampire in one of the vampire kingdoms. It's just the way it works. It's kind of like a human being a citizen or having a nationality. At least that's what I've been telling myself. If I thought of it as becoming a minion in some despots fiefdom, I couldn't bring myself to do it. It's good to employ a healthy dose of self-deception from time to time.

I could have pledged fealty to anyone, anywhere. I thought of staying in Japan with the Kitsune's, there are vampires based in Tokyo now, but it would have created an awkward diplomatic situation for the Kitsunes. Everyone I knew was stateside so I narrowed my choices down to the sheriff of southern Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut, Bert O'Malley, and Eric Northman the Sheriff of area five in the kingdom of Louisiana. Bert was a little over the top for me, he was into black pin striped suits, fedoras, and bore an eerie resemblance to James Cagney. During our yahoo video chat he was Bert and I was " doll", it wasn't going to work out. So I chose Eric.

I wasn't sure what Eric would expect me do, and what pledging fealty entailed, but that night I went ahead and pledged my fealty to him and he gave me an overview of the expectations. Basically, what it amounted to was:

-an appearance once every couple of weeks at Fangtasia. This is required of everyone. The draw of the place is that vampires frequent it, and so that meant we had to be there.

- doing Cost benefit analysis (CBA'S), projections, and "post mortems" for his various projects and business ventures

- occasionally running personal errands for him ( I tried to get clarification on what he meant by occasionally but the clarification provided was "from time to time")

- If Eric, one of his minions, or our area were under attack, I would have to defend him/them/it

- I might be loaned out on "official vampire business" from time to time ( the clarification of this was the word occasionally) and for good measure he added the familiar catchall

- and other duties as assigned.

Since I was planning on opening a coffee shop in Shreveport he clarified that he would take a percentage of the profits. I won't get into what the percentage was, it's highway robbery, but after thirty minutes of intense negotiation, he had only given up a half a percentage point, and made it clear that if I pressed further his next move would be in the opposite direction. If vampire hierarchies and politics were a chess board, new born's would have all the moves and expendability of a pawn- in-waiting, so I really couldn't complain. After I pledged fealty and our official business was concluded, I reached for the gift the Kitsune's sent for him, it was a pretty large package.

"Oh, I almost forgot. This is for you. It's from the Kitsune's . They send it as a token of their gratitude to you for the kindness you have shown me and their community" Eric had made the arrangements, with the vampire "powers that be", for me to have the sabbatical I just enjoyed with the Kitsunes. It was no small favor considering my new born status and the fact I was unfledged. ( Of course, there was also the matter of a kiss, but no one else knew about that and it just wasn't something you run around thanking people for.)

Eric took the package and unwrapped it. I wouldn't have imagined it, but the Sheriff of area five liked to receive presents. He pulled out a mans navy blue silk kimono with a white Koi pattern on it and , to my surprise, a koto. It was a lovely instrument, much nicer than the one I had bought myself.

" Oh, I didn't realize you played, too," I said.

" I don't , but now that I know you do, perhaps you will play for me sometime. Please send Obachan my thanks"

" I will, good night" I nodded and left. I was going to have to talk to have to make a long distance call.

"Obachan, Eric says thank you. He loved the gifts, but how could you? " we were on a video chat. She looked innocently at the webcam.

" Mae-chan, I don't know what you are talking about? We just thought it would be nice to give him something that was unique to Japan." If she hadn't added the last part I might have believed her.

" Uh-uh. Next time just stick a bow on my head" we were both laughing. It was sweet of her to take such an active interest in my love life. Lately she seemed to be on a campaign to prevent me from living " an eternal loveless existence" . We talked for a while. She gave me the latest Kitsune news, it had only been a week so not much had happened, but it was nice to hear that everyone was doing o.k. Dawn was about to break when we ended our call.

A few nights later, I had just put on my happy bunny p.j.'s when the phone dinged . I thought it might be the realtor with an update on the status on my offer. It was from Sato. Since the proceedings, he seems to have gotten in the habit of sending me random text messages. Most of them were to let me know what he was up to and where I could find him. When he left Boston to move to Nevada last month, he had sent me one. Saying "moving to Nevada" Sometimes they would just say " thinking of you". I never reply. This night his text told me he was returning to Nevada tomorrow. About fifteen minutes later the phone dinged again.

" we need to talk" said the message. This time I answered . " I know" seeing him the other night and just walking by had felt wrong. I heard another ding.

" I will be gone for 1 mo" I hadn't finished reading it when my phone dinged again.

" Will have more time then" ding,ding

" We will talk when I get back"

"ok, when you get back .ttyl" I typed in and I hit send.

I don't know what we were going to resolve by talking. What was done was done, and it wasn't like it could be changed. I guess maybe I just needed and explanation, an apology, some sort of closure. I might not be able to forgive him, but I didn't want to spend eternity thinking the worst of him either. I hated what he had done, and would probably never trust him again, but I didn't want to hate him. I guess that's why I agreed to talk to him. It doesn't really make any sense, but things are allowed to not make sense sometimes. I turned the phone off and pulled out a note pad. There was a lot to get accomplished and I didn't want to waste any time so I set about making a to do list.

About a month after I got back from Japan, I had completed fifty percent of what was on my original to do list and added a few more items. One thing that was taken care of was my living arrangements. I loved my new house on Ashley River Road. It had two fireplaces, three and a half baths, and arched doors and windows. I was in the process of unpacking when I got a call from Eric. He had an errand for me. It was his night off, so he told me to meet him at his place, he would give me the details when I got there.

" Wear you kimono" he added, and then he hung up.

Ok, I was intrigued now, what kind of errand would require the donning of a kimono in Louisiana ?

An hour later , I was dressed and knocking at his door. Eric answered it in a black satin robe, he was carrying a red wine goblet filled with blood. " Maeve" he said, glanced over me appraisingly, seemed to appreciate the kimono and then gave me a quick nod. He closed the door behind me and led me through to the other side of the house, opened a sliding door and guided me into an enclosed patio made entirely of glass. It had teak flooring and there a was a teak Ofuro ( wooden hot tub) taking up the far corner of the room. The Ofuro was four feet tall and five feet in diameter. It was filled with water so hot that you could see the steam rising off of it. Five wooden stairs led up to a little platform, you could stand on to step into the tub. I noticed the Koto was sitting on the third step.

When he got to the platform, he untied the robe , climbed the steps and shrugged it off . If I were still breathing , there would have been a split second when my breath caught as the robe made its way to the floor. I wasn't sure what I was going to see. What I ended up seeing was his incredible butt in a pair navy blue Speedo's as he lowered himself into the Ofuro.

" Come, " he said. Signaling to the step where the Koto awaited me. Hmm, It looked like my errand was to indulge the Sheriff in some sort of geisha fantasy thing he had going on. Since it played into my Viking in a hot tub fantasy thing nicely, I didn't ask any questions. While I got settled in, He immersed himself in the water until all you could see was his head. He prop it back a little on the platform, kind of using the edge as a pillow. His eyes were closed and he wore an expression of sensual relaxation.

" Play for me" he said, keeping his eyes closed. So I did. As I played, I admired the way the reflection of the candle light on the water danced across Eric's face and let myself get lost in the music. It occurred to me that Eric was a fascinating man, and a man that only a masochist or an extraordinary woman would get involved with. You would have to be someone really special to capture the heart of someone like him. As attractive as I found him, I wouldn't go there for all the money in the world.

Danger, that was the word that popped in my head. He should come with a warning label. Someone like me would be lucky to catch his interest, but she would never be able to hold it. And she would want to. She would tell herself she could keep it casual and not ask for to much, but she would want more. In spite of herself, she would want the full enchilada. It would be like a moth flying into a flame. On the other hand, there is something delightful and fun about being a moth dancing around a flame, don't you think?

After some time had passed, he said out of the blue,

" Have you ever wanted something you know you shouldn't want" his tone told me that there was a woman involved in this question. She must really be something.

" Yes" I said, and since I knew this was him thinking out loud and not an invitation for me to encourage him to share, I kept my thoughts about what had prompted the question to myself, and kept playing. I had just started a new song when he said,

"Sato's back in town, I gave him your address" He opened his eyes and reached for a towel.

I took that as my cue to stop playing and headed down the stairs. I liked sitting there playing for him and talking a little, it reminded me of Obachan. I really missed her. The case for the koto was on a chair so I went over to put it away. I just finished fastening the latch and was turning to ask Eric if he needed anything else when I collided against him. The corner of the case caught his towel and it fell to the floor. Instinctively, I bent down to pick it up and ended up nearly poking my eye out on something that wasn't covered by a navy blue speedo any more.

" Jesus Christ!" I blurted out, hastily straightening, bringing the towel up with me. I shoved the towel in his hand and averted my gaze. I was going to spontaneously combust. The flame had just moved closer to the moth. In spite of myself, I glanced over to get one more surreptitious look averted my eyes again, saying " Oh my god" and then I burst into a fit of giggles.

A more sophisticated woman would have handled things differently, I thought to myself on the ride home. But not me, I had burst into a fit of giggles worthy of a school girl, and the worst part of it was, I was giggling so much it was embarrassing which was making me giggle more. It was the inevitable reaction for a sex-starved, middle aged woman who suffered from arrested development when faced with such a situation. That's what I told myself, when I though of it later At the time, I was laughing so hard the blood had pooled in my tear ducts and the only thing that made me stop was Eric grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me.

" Get a hold of yourself" he said. I nearly bit through my tongue to stop the giggles from starting again when it occurred to me that I was glad he hadn't said " get a grip"

My reaction was so inappropriate, I think I freaked him out. When I stopped giggling he pulled me into his chest, and smoothed my hair absently with the arm that wasn't wrapped around me. After a moment he had asked, "are you alright?"

" yes, I am sorry about that. " I answered. Internally, I was battling feelings of lust and mortification.

" You must still be jet lagged" You know it's bad when people are made improbable excuses for you.

" Yeah, I better go. Good night" I said and practically bolted out the door.

"I need to grow up" I said to myself as I threw my keys on my kitchen counter. Rather than spend the rest of the night reliving my foolish behavior, I decided to start hanging art work. I was in the process of hanging up a picture that took up most of a wall when Sato walked into the living room. "knock, knock" he said. I never lock my doors.

" Oh, hey Sato, have I seat. I will be right there" , the picture didn't seem to want to balance properly and if I let it go, I was afraid it was going to fall down. If I could just scoot it over about half an inch to the left…..

I felt Sato come up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, " Can I.." he had started to whisper in my ear, then he let go of me and took an abrupt step back and said.

" You smell like Eric" I was only half paying attention, I had moved the picture to far to the left and was now trying to move it a quarter of an inch to the right.

Distractedly I replied, " Do I? Oh, well I was over at his place playing his instrument, maybe that's why" it still wasn't balancing right.

" Is that what you are calling it these days? being so blunt borders on cruelty. You could have just told me you've moved on" he snapped and before I could ask him what the hell he was talking about he was out the door.

"what just happened?" I asked to no one at all, and confused I let the picture fall.

"Shit!" there was glass everywhere.

I thought of chasing after him or calling him, once it hit me that I could have made a better choice of words. It was such a ridiculous misunderstanding. I didn't know what Sato must think of me but based on his reaction I could be whatever it was it wasn't flattering to my character. I mean I am sure he had hooked up with humans. I know I had , but that was different, that was more like feeding. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if he had hooked up with vampires, if had been months after all. Besides, we weren't even an item, really this jealously was uncalled for. Still, it bothered me to think he was out there somewhere thinking ill of me. I was just about to call him, to clarify things when I hopped on a different train of thought. Why did I even care what he thought? I wasn't even sure I could forgive him. What was the point? But then again, I did care what he thought. The victim of analysis paralysis, I ended up doing nothing. I cleaned up the broken glass, locked the doors and decided I needed to find something other than the meaningful or meaningless sex I wasn't having and men to think about. I needed to have a bigger purpose for my existence, I thought as I yawned and climbed into my coffin.


	9. Drainers

When I got up the night after the " Instrument Incident" , the first thing I did was check my phone. Nothing. I guess Sato was going to think whatever he wanted to think. I wasn't going to reach out to him. I had decided on radio silence. It would have been easy to stay home second guessing myself , as I am prone to do. Fortunately , tonight was an "appearance" night. In other words, I was expected to show up at Fangtasia. It would be nice to get lost on the dance floor for a few hours. Since my change in life status I could only lose myself in music or motion. I couldn't take the edge off my problems with a Martini induced buzz and there's no such thing as comfort food for vampires.

If you have ever wondered why some vampires just have a bad attitude or seem to have a pole up their ass, you are not alone. I have to. I mean there are people like that , but with vampires there are so many that if being sullen and morose where a disease the vampires had a full blown epidemic. My theory is that its because they have such few options available for stress relief. Well that and the fact they live in a society where everyone has an agenda, is playing deep, and trying to stay alive. Its challenging to keep a smile on your face when you expend so much energy just trying to figure out what's really going on and staying one step ahead of the game. Its not as bad among the peons, I mean you have to have power in order to have someone take it away, but then if you're a peon you're a pawn in someone else's game and well that doesn't exactly bring a smile to your face either.

Anyway, that's my take on it. Calling us the "living damned" might sound a little over the top and dramatic but would you be dying to live if it meant the ocean would never be more than a black pool of water ? or you would never wake up to the sound of birds singing or feeling the sun warm your skin? Knowing you would never again have that feeling you get when you are driving in your car and looking at a blue, white, and magenta sky? I wont even get into the fact that your sense of smell is so good you know your neighbor cooked what was probably the best Bar-B-Q ribs in three states but you'll never know for sure. Even if they offered you some, you can't eat. Just the rib scenario sounds like a living hell to me. I know I am whining but every one seems so intent on talking about all I gained, which was plenty, but I wasn't ready to let go of all I lost.

I put on the finishing touches to my hair, pursed my lips together to blend my lipgloss, tossed it my bag, made sure I had my cell, license, credit cards and cash in my wallet. Everything was there, so I snapped the bag shut. Then I went and made a final inspection in the full length mirror. Leather wouldn't normally be my first choice of fabric, its hot, squeaks when you slide into a booth, and it doesn't drape right. (I spent two nights going on a quest for a pair of back lamb skin wide leg leather slacks that didn't tent when I sat down). I have to be practical though. I was going to be spending most of the night in a place filled with humans, alcohol (and god knows what other mind altering substances) and vampires. Past experience told me the odds were high that some blood would get spilled.

Fangtasia is a vampire bar for people, it's "mainstream" so I am not implying that things were going to get out of hand and there would be a blood bath or anything like that. What I meant was that some drunken airman or death chick was going to swagger into the waitress carrying a tray of true blood. Or the vamp who was out on the dance floor and just had to bring his bottle was going to try some dance move that wasn't "keep your blood in your bottle" friendly. When those things happened, Murphy's law dictated that I would be standing in the trajectory of the blood splatter. Black doesn't show stains and leather wipes clean so it really was the most appropriate and cost effective choice of apparel.

Satisfied the pants were falling right, I gave my black leather corset bustier a strong tug downward. Nothing popped out so I knew I was good to go. I checked my cell phone again, it was an irresistible impulse. Nothing. Well, tonight I would have closure one way or another. I hate having uncomfortable situations linger. If I didn't have the words "I'm sorry" from Sato by sunrise, the window of opportunity would be officially closed. He would cease to exist in the world as far as I was concerned. If Obachan's belief about the whole TKO thing were true, I'd be doomed to an "eternal loveless existence".

There was nothing stopping me from taking the bull by the horns and calling him, demanding an apology and getting the matter settled, but what if he didn't pick up, or what if he wasn't sorry? Rather than confront the situation, it seemed better to make a unilateral decision based on an ultimatum he knew nothing about. Facing uncomfortable situations has never been my forte and even the prospect of an eternity of serial monogamy wasn't going to change to that.

Fangtasia was hoping that night. There were some Vamps I had never seen before but that wasn't really suprising. Eric had been around for like a thousand years and had his hands in so many different things . There was always someone stopping into Shreveport and catching up with the sheriff. What was suprising was the sight of officer O'Shaughnessy at the bar, next to Cherie. Cherie is the girl who used to run with Chow, you know Hello Kitty girl. Curious as to what he would be doing there, I headed in their direction.

"Hey Cherie, how's it going?"

" Oh hey Maeve, love your earrings, are they real?" They were emerald and diamond Deco dangle earrings. I had bought them from a tenant of a small strip mall I was thinking about buying.

" They are, thanks. I just picked them up. Whatcha drinking? I'm getting ready to start a tab"

She was drinking gin and tonic. " Felicia, can I get a gin and tonic and a true blood, oh and you can you put it in a martini glass please."

" Does your friend need another? " I asked.

" Thanks, I'll have a Budweiser" Felicia heard him so I didn't have to repeat it.

" Oh hey, this is Iskander-Iskander this is Maeve. We are on a first date" they both laughed when she said that.

I raised my eyebrow involuntarily, why would a fang banger bring a human to a vampire bar for a first date? Why would anyone for that matter?

" Nice to meet you, well you guys have fun" I my martini, tried to imagine it was a cosmo and turned to go to my booth.

" Mind if we join you?" Cherie asked. It was kind of strange, who wants a third wheel on a date? I hoped Cherie wasn't gunning for a threesome, that was something I could definitely see Chow being into, but it really wasn't my cup of tea.

" Ah, sure, I am expecting some people but the more the merrier."

Iskander and Sherrie had just settled in when he said, . " Hey, have we met before, you look really familiar?"

" Oh, I probably just remind you of that Asian porn star, I get that all the time" That got a laugh out of him. He had a great laugh. His cheeks dimpled and his smile reached his eyes.

Cherie proceeded to tell me that her grandmother had set her and Iskander up on a blind date. Iskander had pulled Cherie's grandmother over for failing to yield the right of way and Cherie's grandmother had taken the opportunity to meddle in her granddaughters love life. She didn't like the fact that her only granddaughter was into guys who didn't have a pulse and was sure if she could just get her a live one, Cherie would lose interest in those "damn vamps" . By the time "gran" had finished with O'Shaughnessy she had gotten a warning and a date for Cherie. Never underestimate the power of a little old lady.

They had both reached the same conclusion at "hello". It wasn't in the cards for them but since they were out they were making the best of it. My usual crew joined us and we ended up having a good time. I even got Iskander out on the dance floor once. N.E.R.D. "She's got to move" proved too irresistible a song for him to pass up. When we heard last call, we made our good byes. Cherie left with Basil, who had arrived with Wanda, who had left with John, who came with Vanessa, who left with Jordan, who had come alone. Iskander was walking me to my car.

I shook my head. "What? He asked

" musical dates" I said.

"Well I am glad I am where you landed, little lady"

I extended my fangs, smiled and said playfully ," calling a vampire little lady, or babe, or sweetheart, or sugar… Is just kind of silly don't you think? "

He didn't say anything so I added" The fact that I'm in six inch heels and a leather bustier doesn't make me any less lethal. " I winked so he would know I wasn't threatening him. "If anyone had attacked us out here, it would have been me saving your ass, not the other way around. I can take care of myself"

" I am woman hear me roar!" he said his voice filled with humor, but his expression told me he had heard the message loud and clear. " See ya around Maeve"

" See ya, Iskander" I said, then I rolled up my window and drove off.

My mother always told me that if you brag about something the powers of the universe would align to make you eat crow. I hate it that she's right so much of the time.

When I left fangtasia, I stopped at the grab it quick to get a six pack of blood, I was still hungry. I had been on a feeding frenzy in Japan but decided to turn a new leaf in Shreveport and was getting my sustenance out of a bottle. Human blood is so much better, but since I didn't want to just run around biting people, and feeding can be so erotic it tended to involve sex, true blood was what was it for me. It had taken me forty years of being alive to get anywhere near ten, and months of being a vampire to be in the low thirties. At the rate I had been going I wasn't going to make into the next century with my "sex partner count" in the double digits. "Who cares?" you are probably thinking, I cared and that's what matters. I was already totting around enough baggage, I didn't need to add self stigmatization over being a "vampire ho" to it.

The grab it quick was pretty empty, it was just the clerk and a couple trying to decide which kind of potato chips to buy. I went over and grabbed my six pack and made my purchase. I had just put the keys in my car door when I felt a burning sensation around my throat. I dropped the blood and felt a wad of fabric get shoved in mouth. Then I was being dragged behind the dumpster. Drainers.

" She's got some freaky eyes" a man with the mullet was saying. He had has hand stretched out , waiting for the for the woman with the over processed bleached blond hair to hand him the vacutainer. They were the couple from the grab it quick.

She shoved it in his hand and said, " Hurry up! I don't like this, its to risky"

" When opportunity knocks you answer, baby." I felt the needle pierce my flesh.

I was thinking that it sucked I was going to die my final death behind the dumpster of the grab it quick . I would have preferred to go out fighting. I guess it doesn't matter, if your going to go, your going to go, but it's the principle of it, you know? As I lamented the details of my final scene, they were hunched over me watching the vacutatiner fill . Suddenly they both fell over convulsing.

Iskander O'Shaughnessy had been driving home, when he decided to stop in at the Grab it Quick for a bottled water and some protein bars. He hadn't finished closing his car door when he noticed my car, and the car keys dangling from the door. My purse and a leaking six pack of blood were lying on the ground. He couldn't see anyone besides the clerk in the store, and thought he heard some sound coming from behind the dumpster. He grabbed his taser and flexi cuffs and stealthily went to check it out. My attackers had been to preoccupied with their activities to hear his approach. They never saw him coming, they were tased and cuffed before they knew what hit them.

For some reason the whole scene reminded me of the calf tying event at the rodeo. If Cops had a rodeo, Iskander would have been national champ of the "cuff your perp" event..

He pulled the gag out of my mouth, " Chains" I said., imploring him with eyes to remove them. My skin was burnt and sticky as he pulled them away he looked upset and angry. "Blood" I said before the chain was off completely, I didn't want to jump him- that wouldn't be a good way to show appreciation. I needed blood. He finished pulling the chain off and ran to get my six pack and my purse. Then he popped a bottle, and handed it to me. I started chugging. I don't know what Iskander's thoughts about me before this had been, but I can assure you that after seeing my gooey burned skin, eyes burning with hunger , and blood running down my chin he had to know that I was "different" . I wasn't just a chick with fangs.

" I need more" I said. When I finished the last bottle.

" Sure, and I'll get you some napkins " he ran in to the grab it quick.

I whipped out my cell phone and called Eric, he is the Sheriff after all.

" This is Eric"

" Eric, this is Maeve. I have to be quick. We have a situation. Drainers and a police officer, how do I handle it?"

" Where are you?"

I told him." I'll be right there. "

When Iskander returned he was on his cell phone. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had called for back up.

" They're sending some patrol cars, Are you ok? " He asked.

" No, but I will be. " after a moment I added " Thank you. I have to make a call"

I dialed Eric's number again.

"Yes" he said.

" Hi Eric, I just wanted to let you know I might be late for work tomorrow" I said, " I just got attacked at the grab it quick on rt.24 but don't worry, there is an off duty police officer here and he called for back up so the place should be crawling with cops in a minute, and of course I am fine"

" Got it" Eric said. There was to much of a trail to cover up now. If it had just been a matter of the clerk, Iskander, an the surveillance tape, he could have sent the clean up crew and we would have dealt with the drainers ourselves, but covering up 9-1-1 calls, dispatch logs, etc. made things too complicated. We would have to let the humans follow their process and deal with the drainers our way at some other point in time, and in a way that wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. There was no point in Eric showing up now.

The police showed up and statements were taken. I made sure to listen when names and addresses were given. When it was all done, Iskander said "Come on, I will make sure you get home safely." I didn't argue and neither of us talked about whether or not I could take care of myself and who had rescued whom.

When we got to the door he said, "do you need me to stay?" before I could answer he leaned his forehead onto mine then said. " ask me in". I had just come face to face with my mortality in an ugly way. I didn't care about right or wrong or the moment, I felt an overwhelming need to get laid. Something about his voice told me that he was in the same place.

We were kissing me before I had finished closing and locking the door. Our kisses tasted of loneliness, anger, confusion, lust and the need to feel alive. At first they were hungry, greedy. I wouldn't say we were sharing caresses so much as grabbing on to each others flesh with both hands like our life depended on it. Somewhere along the way the tone changed. Things became tender, almost uncomfortably so because all our vulnerabilities were right there front and center seeking acknowledgement and comfort. It was as if our bodies were having a conversation about all the things that words fail to express, like we were looking for the answers to all the unanswerable questions in each other and in this act. The pace quickened and in the end we didn't find the answers but we found a release, several in fact. It was the strangest sex I ever had.

Dawn was coming, so after finding repose in the silence, he got up and dressed, kissed me on the forehead said "lock up behind me" . Then he made his way out of the living room and closed the door. After I heard him pull out of my driveway I went and locked the door. I stayed at my window a long time and watched the sky, hoping to catch even a hint of color. I almost could see them again, but before they were more than a foreshadowing my eyes grew too heavy and I crawled into my coffin.


	10. Skills Test

I woke up the evening after my run in with the drainers happy to be alive. Last night had almost been the end of the line for me. I almost perished behind a dumpster looking at a man with a mullet. Things could only get better from there. I hopped into the shower with a smile on my face, and the sound of Joan Jetts cover of "Love is all Around", blasting from my ipod. I love music, life is just one giant play list and each day should have its own theme song.

Clean and ready to face the night, I put on jeans, my "save your drama for your mama" t-shirt and a little lip-gloss. Then I pulled my hair into a high pony undocked my ipod, popped in the earbuds and headed downstairs for breakfast. I was singing along to "Toxic" when I noticed a large flower arrangement on the coffee table. Orange roses, they were reflected in the hallway mirror as I passed it. Curious, I turned my ipod off and headed into the living room to check it out. My hand was on the little white envelop attached to the arrangement . I was just pulling it off the little plastic stick, when I heard , " Hi Maeve". I was so startled I dropped the envelope. Eric was sitting on a leather arm chair holding a blackberry , it looked like he had been in the process of checking emails. Before I could ask him what he was doing there and how he got in he added,

"The back door was unlocked, I am here about the drainers"

"Did you bring me flowers?" I asked knowing it was highly improbable.

"No, they were at the front door. I just brought them in" he answered.

" Oh, thank you. Have you had breakfast yet?" He shook his head, so I said "be right back" and went into the kitchen to get us two mugs of True blood and some blood pops (bp's for short). I was developing a mild addiction to them. They are kind of like junk food for vampires. You know what I mean, empty calories .Freezing blood destroys the red blood cells so bp's have no nutritional value. (You need a special freezer. I had made sure my model U85-13 blood freezer was installed before moving in). They served their purpose though, which was to give me something solid to eat. I don't mind the lack of variety. When I was human ,I always at the same foods. I am just not a fan of my current diet being entirely liquid. I arranged the bp's into a little pattern on a plate while I waited for the microwave. When the microwave beeped I put everything on a tray, and headed back to the living room to play hostess.

"What's this?" Eric was holding up a bp and eyeing it curiously.

"Blood-pop, bp for short" I said, popping one in my mouth. He followed suit.

" Interesting…. So tell me about the drainers" Eric said, he had the bp tucked in his cheek like a jaw breaker.

I told him what happened. Then I provided their description , names, address, and the license plate number of their car.

" This has been happening too frequently. Coming out of the coffin has made some us soft." He sat there a moment and then picked up his blackberry and started typing. A second later, I heard my cell phone ding. I picked it up and read " Skills assessment tonight Fangtasia 10 p.m. -E"

" I am sitting right here" I said biting back a laugh.

" You are on the list, see you at 10 " He said and was out the door.

Weird. I reached over and grabbed the envelope off the table. The suspense was killing me. The card inside read,

" Hope you are feeling better today. Movie Friday? Call me- Iskander" His phone number was written at the bottom of the card. With all the goings on last night we had failed to exchange numbers. I smiled and set the card on the table, leaned into the flowers and took their scent in for a minute. Then I picked up the phone and dialed,

" O'Shaughnessy here "

" Hi, thanks for the flowers. Friday sounds great"

" pick you up at 7? We could grab diner before the show?" I was about to say, "I don't eat" but why get caught up in the details. I agreed to the time and we talked a little more, then I went upstairs to take care of a few things. Before I knew it, it was time to head over to fangtasia. I didn't know what a skills assessment entailed so I dressed in a track suit and put on some tennis shoes to be on the safe sid.

When I got there I used the employee entrance. There were already some vampires there, they were all wearing gym clothes. A few vamps were grumbling and I got a couple of nasty looks. I didn't let that bother me though, after all I had just been the straw that broke the camels back. If there hadn't been trouble before, my run in with the drainers wouldn't have prompted a skills assessment. We were standing there, about eight of us all together, just sort of milling around when Eric and Sato walked in. They were both wearing track suits and carrying clip boards. It looked like Sato was there to help with record keeping. Pam came in for a couple of last minute directions. She was staying behind with Felicia to run the bar. Felicia is the bar tender, and I don't think anyone doubted Pam's skills were up to snuff.

A few ideas were tossed around about where we should do this. Finally, it was decided we would do the mind control portion at fangtasia, because there were willing humans (aka-the staff) available. The speed test would take place at the high school track. The rest of it would be done on a deserted tract of land in the woods. The whole world knows we are pretty fast, but our strength and other skills aren't public knowledge. Running full speed through the woods could be tricky, or so they said.

I didn't feel comfortable at all with the mind control portion of the skills test. I have zero interest in controlling minds (unless a traffic violation is involved) and I guess it showed. Eric jotted something down on his clipboard and you didn't need to be telepathic to know the consensus on my performance. It was pathetic. As I drove over to the track, I hoped I wouldn't embarrass myself there to. I've never been very athletic, and I didn't want to be "that vamp" . Turns out my anxiety was unnecessary. I literally ran circles around a couple of the others. I was as fast as Sato, and he was the one we were all trying to catch. Maybe it was just because we were TKO's. When we finished there, we all got back in our cars and headed over to the deserted tract of land in the woods. We couldn't just drive up to it, so we ended up parking and then hiking the rest of the way.

Things went ok here, except for the combat portion. I got my ass handed to me on a platter when we did the one-on-one portion of the test. It was so bad I didn't even have to do the two-on-one portion. It wasn't that I was weaker, it was that I didn't know what the hell I was doing. The tracking section went well. Then we established that I couldn't fly, which isn't unusual. I didn't do so hot on the "sensing someone approaching or being in the general vicinity" potion. I did exceptionally well at catching objects being thrown at me ( the AU's telegraphed where they were going to throw it). There were a few other skills tested but the fall into the " top secret category" so I can't talk about them. All things considered, I thought I made a decent showing. The whole time Eric and Sato were jotting things down on their clip board.

When the testing was finished, they moved off to the side to consult. Then Eric called five names, " you have done very well, but need to work on your fighting skills. Don't make any plans for the next four Tuesdays. You'll be meeting Pam in the basement at Fangtasia for coaching". I was surprised not to be included in that group. I definitely needed help in that area. The five vamps nodded and headed back to their cars. Then Eric called two more names, " You guys did excellent, you need no remedial training" they nodded and went in the same direction as the other five vamps. The only ones left were me, Sato, and Eric. " Maeve, you either excelled or failed miserably" ok that was blunt but accurate, " you need mentoring. Normally I would do it, but I am heading to New Orleans in a few days, and this can't wait. Sato is in town for a few weeks so he is going to do your training, you start tomorrow." This did not please me at all, and I am willing to bet it showed because Sato said, " I'll let you discuss this, see you tomorrow Mae-chan" then he turned to go.

When he was gone, I asked Eric

"Why does it have to be him? Isn't there someone else? I thought you understood" How was I supposed to pretend he didn't exist if I was taking vampire survival skill lessons from him?

"I do understand Maeve. That's the only reason I am going to explain myself to you now. You have a lot of things going for you and a lot of untapped potential . You are strong, honest, smart, hardworking, honorable, and creative. You could go far within our ranks, if you don't get killed first because you don't know how to fight, and if you work on some things that will hold you back"

"what things?" I asked, not too defensively because the fact he thought I could go far within the vampire ranks had flattered me.

"For one thing, facing situations head on, even if they are uncomfortable. It's been months. For another, adapting well to change and seeing the bigger picture " Well at least you always knew where you stood with Eric. Failure to adapt to change and to see the bigger picture had been the kiss of death for anyone trying to get ahead in corporate America, so they couldn't be good things to have brought to your attention by your vampire boss. I had some damage control to do.

"How can you say that? I have adapted well to change. I am here in Shreveport, I swore loyalty, I am getting ready to open a business and hand you 49.5% of the profits. How is that not adapting well? I think I am doing a great job of facing this situation head on and making the best of it." If I had stopped there it would have been perfect but I added " Especially when you consider, I wouldn't have chosen this and that I never wanted it. It was forced on me and yet here I am participating in skills assessments like its all water under the bridge" I kept my voice clam and rational.

" Did any of us choose this Maeve?" Eric asked calmly. Ok, I was beginning to get the bigger picture.

"You have had it better than most of us did when we were turned " something about the way he said this made me feel bad about whining so much. Time to bring out my strongest argument.

"He betrayed me" I clung to this fact like a barnacle on the bottom of a centuries old shipwreck.

"Yes he did. He also betrayed me, when he brought the situation to my doorstep. Did you know Sato and I have been friends for over 200 years. " he didn't say it but the implication that they had "dealt with it" hung in the air like humidity before a thunderstorm. I didn't know where their relationship stood now, but it appeared they had reached a workable peace.

" Deal with it, you need to learn these skills and as the only other TKO he is the person to teach you. Personal feelings don't figure into this equation" he said, and his tone matched the words.

"I see what you are saying" I could see the sense in what he was saying but it still sounded like bullshit to me. However, I had sworn fealty to Eric and he had been clear.

We both stood there a moment. I was feeling a little demoralized , like I wasn't cutting the "you are an adult" or the vampire mustard . He must have sensed this because his expression softened a little and he reached out to move the bangs out of my eyes, "You can do it Maeve ". I nodded and we headed back to our cars in silence.

When I got to my car, I tossed my purse on the drivers side and sat still a moment taking in the scene on the other side of my windshield. It was a clear night and you could see the stars everywhere. The sky looked like a piece of black velvet sprinkled with glitter. The moon was full and its beams gave the forest a wash of muted purple light. It was the kind of scene that would almost lead to you to expect Pan to appear with his flute, or Disney fairy's to land on your wiper blades. I didn't want to go home. I wanted to be out there, in the woods so I grabbed my ipod and popped my earbuds in. I had time. I picked my techno play list and broke into a run.

The music, the moon, the wash of color, they did something to me. It was like a spell had been cast. I quickened my pace to match the sensation of speed coming from the music. The woods became a blur of shapes and colors that I was cutting through like a pair of scissors. I don't know how much ground I covered or how much time passed. Everything seemed to come together and I began to feel euphoria. I pushed myself to the limit, and started kicking small boulders as I ran by them so that I could watch them shatter into a million pebbles up ahead of me. A tree was in my path so I scaled it and then leapt from tree top to tree top for while because it was fun. It felt like flying. Whatever zone I was in, it was beyond rational thought. I was literally swinging around on a tree branch like a gymnast on the parallel bars when something come out of nowhere and connected with my right side, knocking me back to earth.

My ear buds got yanked out during the fall and my ipod shattered into a thousand pieces against the ground.

Being brought back so abruptly from the place I was, and seeing my shattered Ipod, brought out something savage in me that I didn't know existed.

"Now you really shouldn't have done that" I said, my eyes narrowing into slits. I was starring up at a very large black wolf. We were wrestling around on the ground, my fangs were extended but I couldn't go for the jugular because its teeth were sunk into my forearm. It kept sticking my arm in front of my face whenever I wanted to bite. My free arm was punching it on the top of its head . For some reason I thought that's how I could get him to release me, but I think that only works with Gators. Its rear legs were tangled up with mine and all we were managing to do was roll around. I was lucky he wasn't clawing me with his front legs. During this scuffle I sensed that someone, many someone's in fact, were around us in a circle. They weren't human.

The wolf and I were at a stalemate that was going to last until one of us tired out, but it was interrupted by something knocking the wolf off of me. That fact had just registered when I was yanked to my feet. I was standing back to back with someone in the middle of a large circle of wolves that looked half cocked and ready to go. I looked in the direction the wolf that attacked me had gone, but instead of seeing the wolf I saw a very large naked man. .

He stepped into the circle and walked towards us. It was Alcide, We met at Chow's memorial service. " Jesus Maeve, were you trying to impale my fangs into your arm? What are you doing here?" The wolves in the circle relaxed. The person at my back relaxed to.

" Alcide" It was Sato. Now vampires and Weres are natural enemy's but this pack had fought alongside my maker, Chow, so there was history there. Alcide was rubbing his head but there was no arm looked pretty messed up and was bleeding. Drawing blood is big deal. " You drew blood" Sato said. The wolves didn't look so relaxed anymore.

"He was defending himself, I was going for the jugular" I said, trying to smooth things over.

" Is that what you were doing?" I was getting a little tired of having the fact that I'm not the vampire bad ass I'd like to think I am rubbed in my face.

" Why were you attacking him?" Sato asked me and he sounded stern.

" I was just listening to my ipod in that tree when he knocked me out of it for no reason" I said.

The whole story eventually came out. The pack was out for their monthly run, since it was a full moon. Our location had been nowhere near their deserted track of land ,so evidently I covered quite a bit of distance. They saw a flash pass them by and sent Alcide ahead to investigate. He had given up on catching me when he noticed movement in the branches above and spotted a vamp swinging from a tree branch. Alcide didn't know it was me, he thought it was some random vamp who had flipped her lid. Vampires know better than to trespass onto were land especially on a full moon, and well the other reason he thought I was crazy is obvious so there is no need to mention it again. Thinking he was dealing with a "situation" he had attacked ,but once we were on the ground he recognized me. That's when I wigged out about my ipod and he instinctively lunged for my arm. He was trying to subdue me so he could release me and let me go on my way but I had tangled my legs up with his and stated pounding him on the head. He couldn't release his grip.

Now I realize this is so absurd that any Vampire in their right mind would have thought the Were was trying to pull the wool over their eyes, but Sato knew Alcide and he knew me.

" We are sorry about trespassing and disturbing your run" Alcide looked over at one of the Weres in the circle as if he were getting direction. That wolf moved around a little and then alcide said, "Ok, the pack master accepts the apology. I apologize for the damage to your arm. Its settled. We will escort you off our land"

Sato looked at my arm, shook his head and stuck his wrist in my face. " Drink, when you start moving the need to feed will magnify and we don't want any more incidents" I wasn't in a position to argue so I bit down and took some of his blood. Alcide turned back into his wolf form. The circle broke and Sato and I were in the middle of a large V formation. Then we were off ,running with the Were pack under the full moon.


	11. Remembering how to laugh

We had been off pack land for about a minute when Sato made his move. His legs were straddled and he had me pinned against a tree with his torso. I don't know why but he was sort of leaning into me. My arms were over my head and he was tracing the vein in my neck with his tongue. He followed the line up to my jawbone and traced that to my ear. "I missed you " he whispered softly into my ear. When he leaned in for the kiss, I decided I had enough and brought my knee up with a quick thrust. My arms were released when he fell to the ground like a house of cards.

If you ever wondered about whether a knee to the nuts will bring a male vampire down, now you have your answer.

" Save that seductive vampire shit for someone you haven't screwed over " I hissed. I was showing fang.

Then remembering my manners I added , "Thanks for your help tonight, by the way" and I was off. I just hate it when someone thinks because they were there once the door will always be open. In his case, it seemed damned presumptuous that he would think the door was even ajar.

I got home that night and started to think about a few things. My thoughts weren't getting any clearer so I decided to write a few things down. When you aren't sure how you feel about something its good to jot down the facts. I made two columns.

The first column itemized what I knew

1. I am dead, but I am not

2. It was love at first sight with Sato, but he is an ass

3 I trust Eric, but I don't trust Eric

4. I am a vampire but not really

5. I will always look young and beautiful and I wont need cosmetic surgery

6. I will never be able to get a tummy tuck

7. I can never gain weight and I don't have to diet

8. I will never eat again

9. I found" the one "

10. "The one" had me turned into one of the walking dead

11. Eric thinks I could go far in the vampire organization

The second column itemized my burning questions

1. Do I really want to drink the vampire "Kool-aid" ?

2. Will I ever have a choice in any matter of importance?

3. Are all male vampires "Neanderthals" ?

4. Why am I so horny all the time?

5. Should I make an effort to meet the bar, or should I set the expectation lower?

6. If I flipped Eric off again, would the Kitsunes approve having me chained in silver?

Satisfied that I had created order out of the Chaotic Maelstrom that had been my thoughts, I put my pen back in my pen holder and hoped in the shower. Was it any wonder I had issues? I mean who can function with so many shades of grey, was nothing black or white anymore? I longed for the time when "are you alive?" was a yes or no question. As I was crawling into my coffin I answered one of my burning questions. Definitely set the expectation lower, I would rather spend eternity pleasantly surprising people than disappointing them for eternity.

The next night I wasn't surprised at all when I got up to find Sato and Eric in my living room. I had pretty much accepted that the words Vampire and Boundaries didn't mix. Vampires are boundary challenged, they are takers ( well, I should say we are takers, but I didn't loose my manners when I lost my humanity) . Showing up uninvited, plopping their ass down on your couch, and filling one of your mugs with your true blood- not a breach of etiquette with these guys. Its just par for course.

Eric was sitting there drinking true blood out of a coffee mugs and chewing on blood pops like he owned the place. They had been thoughtful enough to pour an extra mug for me, so I went over and picked it up.

"You know, I don't remember giving either of you a key." I knew I locked everything the night before.

" Yes, you neglected to bring yours by when you moved in. An understandable oversight that I corrected. As sheriff I have keys to all the building the vampires inhabit, it comes with the job" Eric said, his voice was without guile.

What he said was reasonable but it sounded like bullshit to me. I noticed the former was becoming a recurring theme.

" We are here about the Weres" Eric said, subtly letting me know that if I had an opinion about him having a key to my house, I could keep it myself.

"Sato can tell you all there is to tell" I said.

When he just kept looking at me expectantly I added, "what do you want to know?"

"All of it"

"Okey dokey" , so I told him. He seemed satisfied the matter really was settled. Apparently Sato and I had told the same story.

"Well I will leave you two to your training" he added and then he was off.

We had to have this conversation. I decided to be mature about it. After Sato and I looked at each for a moment without saying anything I decided to take the lead.

" You suck" I said non-chalantly . If that doesn't sound very mature, let me point out that given the way I felt about him, I could have started the conversation with " I faked them all" or " go fuck yourself you back-stabbing, vampire making, sack of shit from hell" . So given the way I felt at the time, "you suck" was actually me being diplomatic. He didn't say anything, but just rolled his eyes like I was being childish or something.

" It shouldn't have taken a committee for me to find out the truth, how did you even manage it, what made you think you would get away with it? " I wasn't saying another word until I got my questions answered.

Sato started to tell me a tale that spanned years, involved genealogist's , private investigators , stalking, computer hacking, and a "meet and greet" at a starbucks in Manchester, CT. The way he told it, you could tell he saw it as a love story. A lonely vampires epic journey to finding his soul mate. I didn't know whether I should feel flattered or cough up the true blood I had for breakfast. I like my new Persian carpet so I decided on flattered.

I could almost forgive the 300 year old TKO who didn't really fit in with the vampire world and, being a vampire ,had no other world to inhabit. He had made the best of it, worked his way up the ranks, but being the only one of your kind has to make for a lonely existence. I almost wanted to reach out and console him when he talked of his human life as a samurai, the wife he had loved, the son he never got to raise, and the loss of the place in the world he was meant to occupy. Almost, but not quite. If his story had not culminated with I made a decision about you life status and ended all your chances to get into Nirvana, he might have had me.

When he started talking about why he thought he would get away with it, " I didn't think you had enough Kitsune in you to show in your eyes. I was a first generation KO. My mother is a Kitsune. The Kitsune in your family tree was centuries ago. I expected it to be so diluted that your eyes would pass for normal when you became a TKO" my patience reached its end. I put my hand up and said, " please stop, you had me at " I didn't think"

I guess you could say our conversation ended in a stalemate. I wanted to forgive him, but that meant I had to have a compelling reason to do so. I had to understand why this was the only way it could have been, and frankly there wasn't a thing he had said that justified not taking a more a traditional path. You know, like dating. Besides, he never did apologize. He just got pissy and tried to make it seem like I was being a bitch or something.

I got the impression that he didn't get what he wanted, which was for me to understand. The only thing I understood was the he never cared about me. When it came to love, I doubted he knew the meaning of the word. I made a point of sharing what I understood with him, and to my dismay he looked shocked and hurt.

"You couldn't be more wrong. You have to believe me when I tell you there was no other way, not if I was going to preserve you. I only thought of what would be best for you, of how to make this easiest for you. Vampires can't have relationships with humans, its not a level playing field." his voice was intense and it sounded almost sad when he said this. Like a person who has bent over backwards to please another only to be shit on. I couldn't see how anyone could delude themselves so completely.

When I just stared at him blankly he added, "You don't understand anything. " His eyes were pools of frustration, impotence, and hurt. He was right, I didn't understand him.

We were never going to be on the same page. He wasn't going to "get" that turning me had definitely been "crossing a line" and I was never going to see why leaving me out of the decision about whether or not I wanted to be a vampire "showed he cared". Mutually disgusted, we decided it would be best to leave "Vampire survival Skill remedial training" for another time.

When he was gone, I headed over to fangtasia to talk to Eric. He wasn't there. He was getting ready for his trip to New Orleans.

If you are ever having a bad day and want to improve your mood, let me suggest a change of scenery. There is nothing like the sight of Sherriff in his hot tub to put a smile on your face. There was a half full wine glass of human blood sitting on the little platform next to him. It was glowing.

"Maeve, how's training going?" He asked. Out of habit I went and grabbed the Koto. He tapped the platform besides him, letting me know that's where he wanted me to sit.

"We finished early." I said kicking off my shoes and rolling up my jeans. When I reached the platform, I put my feet in the water and started tuning the instrument. " I don't think its going to work out, Eric. I am all for journeys in personal growth, but this one kind of feels like the titanic" satisfied that the instrument was tuned I began to play.

"Sato said the same, pass me my wine glass" he looked at me expectantly.

I stopped playing and did as he asked. "why does it have that glow?" I asked curious.

"It's the life force. Its in in the blood" he said, his tone was mater of fact.

" Oh, I guess that explains why its not in the synthetic stuff" I observed out loud. "Guess its not essential or we wouldn't be able to mainstream"

"Mainstreaming is a fallacy that we have been perpetuating in the media so humans will accept us living among them, all the vampires know that. We can't really live off True blood, Maeve. Can't you see the life forces of each human when you look at them?" My head was still reeling at the information that we couldn't really live off the bottle.

" What do you mean? Is that for real or is that how folks justify "running around having sex with humans and biting them" to themselves?" I asked.

"Oh, its for real. Who do you think owns the company? " Eric continued, "Living out of the bottle would be the equivalent of a human living off of multi- vitamins. It might be possible to survive, but all "systems" wouldn't keep working properly. You can live primarily off of it but you have to supplement with human blood " he dunked himself under the water.

When he came back up, he wiped the water off his face and said " you know, you don't have bed them to get their blood. The bedding makes it more enjoyable but its not necessary. You can just glamour them. "

"Oh", I started playing again.

Eric closed his eyes and after a song he said" Enough. Join me. I want to show you something"

This brought back a memory of Eric without his towel and sent my mind in a certain direction. I have always been a one man kind of woman and well it seemed like lately I was starting a harem. Sato would represent Fate and Love, Eric would be Lust and power, and Iskander would be all that's right in the world.

Yes, Eric is a great guy to fantasize about, but lust and power are a heady mix and that makes him a scary guy to date. Besides, there were murmurs that he had an emotional attachment to a telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse. I didn't expect that to mean he wasn't getting "some action" other places, but I didn't relish the thought of being a "side dish". I was just about to tell him I didn't think it was a good idea, but he must have been able to see the direction my thoughts took because he said, " It's a pleasant notion, but not tonight." Then I felt him pull the hem of my jeans and say " If you want to keep these dry I suggest you take them off, now. "

I stripped down to my bra and panties, grateful that for once they matched, and got in. The water felt delicious. I dunked under and came back up. Eric pulled me onto his lap with my back against his chest.

He wasn't wearing his Speedos.

"weren't you ever curious about why we would come out of the coffin now? He asked me.

" When I was human I didn't give vampires a second thought, but if I had to guess I would say its because you guys can blend in better now" I said. I was enjoying the feel of the hot water.

" What do you mean by that?" He asked, he sounded interested.

" You, know. Swinging from a stripper pole and re-enacting doing it doggie style are the norm on the dance floor now, that pretty much sums it all up doesn't it. What was once depravity is just the norm. The salvation of souls is no longer part of the social vocabulary, and everyone wants to young forever. It's the perfect social climate for vampires to come out in. Especially if they can sanitize their image with a concept like mainstreaming" I was so relaxed I was seeing halo's of light around the trees and the grass now.

"your grass is glowing" I murmured absently.

He was kneading my shoulders now, it felt good. "Good, you are seeing life forces. It's a handy skill to have. If you feed off a human with a strong life force, you can go longer without needing to feed on another human."

" you mean it will help me get the most "bang for my buck", how will I know if a human has a strong life force or not? And if I take some of their life force what happens to them, do they get it back? Why didn't I notice this before? If they don't get it back, what will happen to them? " I had a million questions, but he interrupted me.

"You didn't notice it before because you were still seeing what you expected to see, and you think to much" Eric whispered in my ear and began to trace my spine with his thumbs." The pertinent fact is that you need the life force to survive. Stay focused on that. "

His mood had shifted and I had a rather large indication that unless I wanted to hook up with my boss in his hot tub it was time for me to hit the road. " I've got to go" I said. He didn't try to stop me. I wrapped a towel around me, grabbed my clothes and picked up the Koto.

When I finished putting the instrument away, I turned and said, "Thanks for the lesson, have fun in New Orleans"

" Sato is going back to Nevada. Do me a favor Maeve, think twice before you burn that bridge. Forever is a long time, no reason not to be civil." Eric said.

" Ok, I will" I said and then I was out the door.

I drove home in my towel, so I made sure to obey all traffic ordinances. Once I was home I got online to find out how much it would cost to get one of those Ofuoro's (hot tub) put in. I had a serious case of tub envy. When the time was right, I contacted Obachan . I really missed her, and told her so. She mentioned she would come for the grand opening of my coffee shop. I gave her my news and she gave me hers. She was working on a way to get my assets in a trust fund so that Eric and other Vamps couldn't touch them. Ensuring they had zero leverage on me had become kind of a game for Obachan. . We were just ending the call when I remembered what Sato had said about humans and vampires dating.

" Obachan, do you think vampires and humans can date?"

" I don't think it is a good idea for humans to date vampires, Mae-chan. The human always end up dying somehow. " she said.

" oh, well what if the vampire never bit the human? And treated them like an equal. You know, didn't control their minds or anything. Do you think it could work then?"

" You like that human, Isknader. Well, maybe if you don't bite him it is possible. Don't bite him and don't give him your blood. It creates a bond if they take your blood too often and that bond is very difficult to break" She said.

"what is too often? " I asked.

" It varies from human to human, the best thing to do is not do give them your blood at all. Once can be to often for some" she said. Then she added, " Mae-chan, reconsider Sato or Eric. They are better choices. I don't want you to get hurt" That got a laugh out of me.

"Obachan, if me getting hurt is what you are worried about, my bet is with Iskander" then it was time for her to go.

I thought about what Eric said, forever is a long time. Better to leave the door ajar after all. I sent a text to Sato. " Truce?" Is all it said. After a while my phone dinged. " Truce" he answered.

Nothing was resolved but at least if we ran into each other somewhere no one had to feel weird about saying " hello". It was something anyway.

Just as I was going to turn in, my phone dinged again.

" Pink Panther?" it said. It was Iskander.

Tomorrow was Friday. "ok" I texted back.

-x-x-x-

We were laughing so hard Iskanders pop corn was flying everywhere and I was blotting the tears in my eyes with the corner of a napkin. I thanked my lucky stars he couldn't see they were of blood. If he had the mood have been ruined. Who knew a guy breaking wind in a sound booth could be so funny? It was the first time I had a good laugh since I was turned.

When he walked me to the door I said, " thanks I had a great time"

" I did too" he said.

"You know, we went from 0 to 65 in about 2 seconds the other night, " I paused thinking of how to say what I wanted to without sending the wrong message.

"It was incredible, but I can see where you are going, and I feel the same way. I think we should slow it down. I like you Maeve, and I want to get to know you" his AU wasn't showing when he said this.

Then he leaned in and gave me a goodnight kiss.


	12. Dreaming or the Curse

I was sitting in my study drinking a blood smoothie and looking through my photo album. It was hard to believe it had been eight months since the night Iskander saved me from the drainers. So much had happened.

You know, when I was human, it always struck me as odd that on the rare occasion I was out and about I would inevitably see people having a cocktail and snapping a picture. Presumably it was to record some special occasion for perpetuity, but I suspected it was so they could post it on MyFace, the internet social networking site, to prove they had a social life. The average person had become expert in camera angles and lighting, and taking pictures of themselves at arms length. If that failed to yield the desired results there was always photo fix, the software program that enabled anyone to craft their own version of "perfect me" or " subtly enhanced me" out of "real me".

It was one of my existence's great ironies that I had more of a life since I ceased to have a heartbeat than before. And lest anyone doubt this fact, I had the pictures to prove it. I had become one of "those people" who never left home without their trusted camera. I didn't post mine online, preferring to print them out and put them in a photo album instead.

There were at least five pages in my album from the opening night at CODA-L. It was the night my dream of owning a coffee shop finally came true. The opening had been perfect. The place was packed and filled with excitement. It's amazing what a coupon in the paper for a free latte will do. We had Karaoke, open mic poetry and chess all going on in the same evening. There was a picture of me and Obachan, cutting the ribbon. There were also a bunch of Iskander. He had a worked a double but insisted on being there to help. In so many ways he was too good to be true. My favorite picture was of him serving a piece of blueberry pie to our first customer Cosmo. Cosmo is about 85 years old and usually wears a Khaki windbreaker and paper boy hat, he can have free coffee and pie for as long as CODA-L has its doors open. We even have a special stool for him with his name on it. Everyone loves Cosmo.

There were also pictures of Eric that night. I thought he was going to sit back and collect profits but he takes an active interest in any venture that translates into cold hard cash in his pocket. I didn't mind though, he is a shrewd businessman and his "suggestions" were always good ones. Never one to miss an opportunity to promote his business , he wore his Fangtasia T-shirt to my opening night and handed out "admit one free" coupons to everyone. There was an attractive brunette named Janelle in a couple of the pictures with him. He brought her especially for me, kind of like a celebratory bottle of wine. Obachan had snapped a photo just as Eric introduced her to me as such (well he didn't call her a bottle of wine, but you can imagine how he put it). Iskander was in that one, and the expression on his face was priceless. There had been some fall out over it, Iskander thought I was living strictly on the bottle and his reaction had "let the cat out of the bag" to Eric that I wasn't feeding on "my human" . I caught grief from both sides, but in the end it all worked out. I turned the page.

The next few pages were of the trip Obachan, Iskander and I took to New york a few months later. Then there were pictures of me and Iskander just tooling around town. The album wouldn't have been complete without photos of the Louisiana vamps. There were some of Pam giving us fight lessons, Clancy eating lunch, the gang hanging out at Fangtasia, Eric on his cell phone, Thalia being Thalia. They really weren't a bad bunch once you got to know them.

Existence had settled into a comfortable a routine for me. I had a life here, and it was a good one. I was happy. I added two more photographs to the album. They were from our "anniversary celebration" a couple of days ago. Iskander had given me a promise ring that night. Then I put the ablum away and began to think of a recent mystery.

For the past two nights, I had risen from my coffin with a distinct memory of an alternate reality. If I were capable of sleeping and dreaming, that's how I would have characterized these experiences. However, Vampires don't dream because they don't sleep. No one really knows where we go, if anywhere, during the day. So if these things were not dreams what were they? Aside from being disturbing, that is.

The first time it happened I was having a "dream" that Iskander was running his mouth up my legs. It was very erotic until he looked up suddenly. Then it was just awful. His eyes were black and he was flashing fang. I swear I "woke up" in a cold sweat, which is saying something since vampires don't perspire. The second one was equally disturbing albeit in a different way. I "dreamt" that I was being chased through the woods by a rabbit with fiery eyes. The best way to describe it would be a demonic rabbit. It was all very strange.

I considered asking Obachan if she had ever heard of something like this before. But although she and Iskander had hit it off great when she was visiting, she wasn't a big fan of humans dating vampires. I decided not to bother her , it would only lead to a conversation I was getting tired of having. She was definitely on team Sato. For about a split second I entertained asking Eric what it could all mean. He was really old and had seen a lot over the years. I was pretty sure I couldn't be the first Vampire this happened to. But the thought of having to fess up to being disturbed by a rabbit chasing me made me reconsider. I was on my own with this one. There had to be someone who could help me. What I needed was the impartial expertise of a professional. I looked in the Vampire yellow pages under counseling services, there was one entry. It was for Dr. Bolton, and "existence coach".

Dr. Bolton's waiting room was not unlike any waiting room for any doctor in any town in America. The air was stale, the magazines that covered the coffee table were out of date and well worn, and the walls were drab. I went up to the receptionist who handed me the customary clip board with the little stack of heath history forms, disclosures, assurances of privacy, and requests for assurances they would get their payment. When it was my turn to go into the office, I handed the clip board to Bolton . I was the only one there so I barely had time to complete it before it was my turn.

" Maeve, its nice to meet you" a vampire with an extremely broad chest wearing a white button down shirt and a red tie nodded at me. I could tell he hadn't been a vampire very long, and his diploma told me when he was human he had been a psychologist. It was also pretty obvious that when was human he had worked out. I nodded in acknowledgement. " Dr. Bolton, thank you for seeing me on such short notice" I had called about twenty minutes ago. I guess vampires weren't exactly knocking down doors to seek mental health services.

" Have a seat please" I sat down, and he reviewed that my paper work was in order. " So what brings you to see me today?" he asked, his tone safely neutral.

" Um, well I am here because I think I am dreaming" I said. He checked the life status box on the form again before he said" Vampires don't dream"

" Yeah, that's why I am here. Vampires don't dream, but I am starting my nights with a distinct impression that I have been dreaming. It's the only way I can describe some pretty disturbing memories of things that never happened"

" What is it that you find disturbing about these memories?" he asked.

" You mean beside the fact they never happened? I think that is disturbing enough. I was hoping you could tell me what it means " I answered.

" Well what do you think it means?" He asked.

" I think it means something doesn't add up. I can't be dreaming, and I can't remember things that didn't happen, so clearly there is a problem. Do you know of anything that could be causing this?" I asked.

" Tell me about them" his voice was still neutral, but I could see his AU and it was doodling on a sheet of paper. I told him about the rabbit.

" you know what I think Maeve, I think that there is something else going on here" I was encouraged by that remark.

"really? What do you think it is?" I asked, literally on the edge of my seat. I hate things that don't make sense, and I was here seeking a professional opinion after all.

" Why don't you tell me? What is this really all about?" he asked and we sat there in silence.

During the silence I was thinking to myself that this was a total waste of time and $250. For obvious reasons, vampires don't carry health insurance, so this was all out of pocket expense for me. After a few more minutes of sitting there watching his AU doodle again I got up.

" Well, this has been helpful" I said sarcastically.

" I am sensing hostility, Maeve. Why are you getting upset? lets explore this anger" his AU was still doodling.

" That's ok, I'll explore it on my own time. Thanks again", I said as I handed him the money and left.

As I drove home, I developed my own theory about what was going on. Clearly, the stress of running the coffee shop, acquiring a construction company, running errands for Eric, hanging out at fangtasia, and the demands of a personal relationship were just catching up with me. This must just be some vampire reaction to over doing things. The equivalent of an anxiety attack. It was obvious I was making a mountain out of a molehill and just needed to slow down a little. It meant nothing, I told myself.

The whole matter would have ended there if I hadn't pulled into my drive way and seen a rabbit caught in my headlights. Weird. Animals and insects tended to avoid us as a general rule. It wasn't to bad really, now I could go hiking without bothering with insect repellent and worrying about bear attacks. Maybe the little guy was just having an off night. Once I got out of the car it would bolt.

I got out of my car and the rabbit just stayed there. I took a step towards it . It didn't budge. It was just sitting there, as if it owned my driveway, staring me down. It didn't have fiery eyes, but it was creeping me out. Just when I was about to charge at it, it narrowed its little eyes into slits wiggled its nose and took off.

It couldn't just be a coincidence and it definitely was not a dream.

I went inside and thought about it some more. I had tried to seek rational expertise, perhaps it was time to seek expertise of a different kind. When you are faced with an impossible situation, its best to explore all options. I picked up the regular yellow pages. There wasn't a section called "wiccans" so I looked under the sections marked "psychics" and "Spiritual Advisor". I decided to go with the pychics. There were pages of them and I had no idea what to look for so closed my eyes and put my finger on the page. C. Williams. I picked up the phone and called.

" Hi, you must be Maeve" a thirty five year old woman in jeans and a white button down with extra thin navy blue pins stripes, and blond bobbed hair answered the door.

" Yes, and you must be Cassandra, I am here for my appointment" I said.

" Come on in" she said, and I crossed the threshold.

" So what can I do for you?" She asked.

I explained the situation.

" Well, I have to be honest with you, Maeve. I don't know a lot about vampires. For instance, I didn't realize you can't dream, but I can tell you that there is something very strange going on here. I sense your magic, your life force. That is why I didn't realize at first, that you are dead."

"Take off your jewelry, maybe I am reading a residual energy" She instructed me.

When she held my snake necklace she started talking again.

" You were avoiding life. All that you desired was there for your taking, but you wouldn't extend your hand to take it. You had a strong magic within you, but you let your disappointment and disillusionment get the better of you. You had almost given up. " She said.

I looked away. The way she put it made me feel like I had been pretty pathetic.

" You were a young soul. You would have conquered it. It was only a temporary set back. You had a strong heart and a free spirit. The journey had only been half traveled, and you would have reached your destination. It was a journey interrupted" She set the necklace down and moved on to the ring Iskander had given me. It was a Fede Gimmel ring. He told me it had been in his family a long time.

" This is an extraordinary ring" She said.

" Yes it is" I agreed" here, pull the little hands apart and it will reveal a heart"

" Very interesting" she was rubbing her thumb over the heart. " There is a curse tied to this ring"

" Hmm, a cursed ring that is making me dream of rabbits. That sounds likely" I started to pull sixty dollars out of my wallet. Guess I was on my own .

" Give me a moment….." She said, ignoring my lack of confidence. She began to rub the ring between her palms with her eyes closed. I was getting a little restless, so I started shuffling the Tarot cards that were sitting on the table.

" I am getting something, it was so long ago the images are barely discernable. He was a warrior and the only thing that matched his courage was his ambition. Dissatisfied with what he had already accomplished he desired more and saw the druid's bargain as the means to reach his end. He wanted to learn magic from him. The druid was trying to protect his daughter. He had seen that she was to die a death which was barbaric even by the standards of the time. He married her to the warrior because the warrior was the strongest and bravest opf his kind. In exchange for learning magic the warrior swore to protect his wife, who was the Druid's daughter. If he broke the outh his soul would be forfeit. He did not keep his end of the bargain. One night, when he was making love to his mistress, his wife was taken and she kept her appointment with fate. In fact, it was the woman's marriage to him that brought about her demise. His enemies hoped to weaken him by destroying her. All that was left now was the son she had borne him. The Druid was distraught and would have destroyed the warrior but the child prevented him from doing so, entirely. Instead he cursed him and sealed his soul in the heart of this ring. THe warrior was destined to spend eternity protecting the women that were to be its bearer and their descendants who would all be men, and only one per generation. "

"The Druids believed in animal spirits, I believe that by appearing to you as a Hare, the warrior is trying to communicate with you. He is using magic. That is why you are dreaming"

She took the deck of cards out of my hand and said" I don't know if this will work, Vampires are an imbalance, a wild card if you will. They have no fate except to scavenge. They are not bound by the forces that bind the rest of us, so I can not be sure that this reading will be valid"

She turned the first card.

" The fool" It figured.

She flipped a few more cards.

" The world, the hermit"

I wasn't very familiar with Tarot. I wondered if there was a card in there that showed a vampire.

" death" ok, maybe that covered it.

" These cards all pertain to the past. You were on a journey and you withdrew" She didn't bother explaining the death card.

Then she flipped the last card, it was the Tower.

" Things are going to start now. Here, don't forget your jewelry. If the rabbit appears to you again, try talking to it" I handed her the sixty dollars but she wouldn't take it, she gave my hand a squeeze and told me to be strong.

As I drove home I thought about everything that had just transpired. For some reason the only thing my brain would focus on was an image of a rabbit chasing after Iskander's patrol car.

When I pulled into my drive way, Eric was waiting for me. Something wasn't right. I wasn't out of the car, when he grabbed me, slammed the door and we were in the air.

" why didn't you pick up?" he sounded irritated. We legs bumped into a tree top.

" will you please watch where you are going, and wouldn't this be easier if I were on top? It can't be easy for you to navigate with my legs dangling like this" I replied.

" Raise your hips and wrap your legs around mine, you still haven't answered my question" he said. I really think the flight would have been easier if he just had me on his back.

" I guess I forgot to take my phone off vibe. What is this all about?" I asked.

" Iskander's in trouble" he said.

" what? What kind of trouble? How do you know this? You guys have been getting awfully chummy lately. I hope you do realize he is mine." I said.

" We are here" we landed on a tree. Below us a grissly scene was unfolding. There was a swat vehicle, about 5 patrol cars with their lights flashing, a slew of media vans and T.V. reporters. I also noticed there was a rabbit. They were all surrounding a split ranch.

"fucking rabbit" I said. Now that the mystery was solved, I hated that thing. I was sure it was trying to separate me from Iskander.

" What?" Eric asked.

"Nothing" I started listening to the conversations that were going on.

" Domestic situation. Man holding wife hostage" I said.

" The responding officer was Iskander, he was bludgeoned with a blunt object and is being held hostage. His wound is serious Maeve. He wont last two hours if he doesn't get medical attention. There could be permanent damage if he doesn't get help within the next one" Eric said.

" Lets go end this, then" I started to move but he pulled me back.

" THINK. To many people." he said.

" Then why did you bring me here?" I countered " I am going in" he grabbed me again.

" No, we are not going to be reckless. You are always finding ways around things" He said this sardonically. I guess it was understandable since he was usually the thing I was finding a way around these days. " think of something"

I thought. What we needed was a diversion. We called fangtasia and set our little plan in motion.

Clancy brought my car, and for once I was grateful Eric seemed to think that what was mine was his and had spare keys made to everything I owned. I wondered if he even had spare keys to my riding mower. Thalia was with Clancy. Pam and Jorge, the bar back at fangtasia were in his car. We decided Thalia was the best Vamp for this job because she already had a bit of a reputation for being a beatch. The fang bangers loved it, they even had a website that chronicled her exploits. I would have been happy to do it, but the publicity wouldn't have been good for my coffee shop.

The plan was basically to stage a traffic accident and enact some road rage at the four way intersection. The 4th way of the intersection led to the raised ranch so it was blocked off, but the other three roads weren't blocked off there. The road blocks for those had been set closer to the main road. Only emergency vehicles and the media were allowed to pass, but Clancy and Pam did a little glamoring and got through. Once they delivered Jorge and Thalia, Pam and Clancy went back to Fangtasia.

Jorge and Thalia got to work. They had themselves a minor head on collision at the intersection, right in front of the patrol car that was blocking the road. No sooner had their bumpers collided they each jumped out of their car.

" Why don't you watch where you are going, stupid Puta!" Jorge yelled.

" Who you calling Puta, you fang-banging maricon! " she yelled back, crouched and flashed some fang.

It had the desired effect. The patrol man was radioing for back up, and the ensuing commotion caused everyone to shift their attention up the road for a second . It was all that Eric and I needed. We got in position at the back door and waited for phase two to start. We couldn't physically get in the building unless we were invited in. Just as everyone started to relax, phase 2 kicked in, Thalia came running down the street holding Jorge over her head and threw him into the front door. It broke down, " Come in" he yelled and then Thalia grabbed him again and ran him back up the street.

We had to move fast. We got inside, incapacitated the man and his wife. " Quick, there isn't much time left, give him your blood" Eric said.

That's when the missing piece of the puzzle fell into place. Eric had given Iskander some of his blood, that's how he knew about this.

" You bastard! " If it hadn't been for the fact Iskander needed me I would have fought Eric right then and there. Oh, I would have lost, but that wouldn't have stopped me. I ripped open my wrist and grabbed Iskander's head. He was unconscious but I reached into his mind and willed him to open his eyes, suck and swallow.

" You have to drink this honey, I am sorry" he grabbed my wrist and drank. When the blood had taken effect, Eric glamored him so he wouldn't remember what happened. This all takes longer to tell than it did to take place. We were out the back window just as the S.W.A.T. team was coming up the stairs. They arrived at the scene to find Iskander putting the unconscious man in flexi cuffs and reading him his Miranda rights. Iskander was going to be a Hero.

When Eric and I landed in his back yard, I came out and confronted him " Why did you do it? " I asked.

" Do what?" he answered.

" Don't be coy, why did you give him your blood?" I asked.

He didn't bother to deny it. He knew I knew. I could feel him floating around in Iskander.

" leverage" he answered. Obachan and I had been getting good at our little "chess matches" with Eric. I could see where he needed something to keep in check. I hate to admit it but I ws getting a little big for my breeches these days.

" How did you even get him to drink it? He would never drink it willingly" I was pissed. Of course Eric had just glamored him.

"Why did you help him?" I demanded. Eric didn't do this out of the goodness of his heart.

" Not much leverage if he is dead, now is there? Besides, you are going to thank me for my assistance by giving me an equal share in your construction company. "

I nodded, it was the least I could I do. He had helped Iskander after all. I know when to fold my cards.

"I am going to get changed, then we have to go bail Thalia and Jorge out" he said. Then he called over his shoulder "if you can feel me, you can feel the rest of it, can't you?"

" I will wait out here" I looked up at the starless sky and felt the appearance of a new sign on on the road of my existence. I'd seen this sign at other pivotal moments. It read " You are now leaving Before, welcome to After".


	13. The final Chapter

After was a place where I didn't return anyone's phone calls for a week and decided that I didn't need to bathe because it was pointless. It was a place where I didn't turn the lights on in my house because that was pointless to. I didn't need electricity to see in the dark. I wasn't giving up, I told myself. I was just being realistic.

The previous night had brought me face to face with an unpleasant fact. Iskander had been a bright ray of sunshine in a dark universe, now he was junkie with vamp blood floating around in him. The blame for this could be laid at my doorstep. All my precautions, keeping him away from the Vamps, not biting him, not giving him my blood (well except last night) - it had all been for nothing. I learned the hard way that there were different ways to enslave a human and some of them were inadvertent. It turns out that Iskanders,um, "healthy sex drive" was fueled by more than Love and affection. When he took my blood I could feel his need, his self-loathing, his obsession. Our lovemaking had become something else for him. It had become a necessity, a prison. He was addicted to vampire sex.

Since I was the only vampire he had been with that way, it was all on me. Sato had told me that vampires and humans couldn't date, that it was never a level playing field, but I thought he was just making excuses. Maybe there was something to it after all. I mean all I had done was love Iskander and try to protect him. I knew Iskander loved me, and that made it worse somehow. The fact that his love for me had been what had caused this intolerable reality to manifest was a bitter pill to swallow. Especially when I thought of all the good things he had brought to my life. He was a positive for me but I was a negative in his equation. I was death in heels, leeching away a part of him and taking away his freedom. I was the villan here, a depressing thought but an appropriate one. If I had really loved Iskander I would have left him alone. After all, I knew first hand that being loved by a vampire was bad news. I guess I had been arrogant to think that somehow, for me, it would be different. Perhaps I had been naive to believ that if I didn't deliberately try to control him, we would be equals. Maybe Eau de enthrall was just my essence.

I didn't know what to do to. You don't stage interventions for people addicted to vampire sex and its not like there is a twelve step program or a rehab they could go to. Once they were hooked they had a one way ticket on the train to perdition. Any attempt to help them, was pointless. Which was why I was sitting in the dark and refusing to shower. I didn't deserve to feel happy. My happiness was at someone elses expense.

I thought of calling Obachan, but she had told me time and time again that dating a human wasn't a good idea. I didn't listen, choosing instead to believe she was just saying it so that I would give Sato another I had been wrong. If I called her, I was afraid we would get in an argument or worse. There was nothing she could do, I thought. Talking to her would be pointless. Why hadn't someone been there to look out for Iskander? Even having a magical warrior sealed in a ring to protect him, had been pointless.

The lesson here was don't date humans you care about because somehow or other they are going to get screwed. The first night of my self imposed seclusion, I got in my coffin with all this weighing on my mind. I wasn't exacty suprised when I had another dream. The rabbit was chasing after me again, although I couldn't imagine why. There was nothing that could be done now. I called over my shoulder " you are dollar short and a day late" and then I kicked it into high gear. I didn't need someone else telling me I had screwed up. That night, I was grabbing a true blood and the rabbit showed up in my kitchen. There was a moment when the air moved around like liquid silver and then the rabbit was gone and a man who looked alot like Iskander appeared. He had the same eyes, but he was taller,stronger, and had long black hair.

" I am Mortimer, and we need to talk about Iskander" he said. I was sure he was there to read me the riot act so I told him to fuck off and added "its pointless" . Come to think of it, my philosophy at the time could be summarized as "its fucking pointless". He followed me into the living room and said, " You need to fix this" he said.

" There is nothing I can do... and by the way I think you did a suck ass job of protecting him" I answered.

" We can play the blame game, or we can do something to help him. There are options, this can be fixed." He said.

" what options? what options?" I yelled.

Mortimer must have realized I wasn't going to be very receptive because he disappeared.

After a couple of days of self imposed seclusion, Eric appeared to find out why I wasn't returning any calls and had failed to appear at fangtasia the day before.

" I didn't feel like it" I said. When he got on his soap box, I interrupted, "let me save you some time" and flipped him off. " Chain me in silver and throw me in a coffin if it pleases you, but I will just go into stasis so you can see, even your attempts to get me to toe the line are pointless" when he didn't say anything right away I just left him there and crawled back into my coffin. He let himself out.

I don't know how long the funk I was in would have lasted, or how many more times I would have used the word pointless, if I hadn't run out of clean PJ's . Sometimes its the smallest things that get you to see how far off base you are. I ran out of clean PJ's on day 7. I had to do laundry, I didn't care how pointless pajamas are, I had no intention of spending my days in the buff .I tossed my dirty Pj's in the wash and one thing led to another. I took a shower, got dressed and put on some lip gloss. Maybe there was nothing I could do, but I had to try something. I couldn't just leave him out there alone because I felt too guilty to face him. I picked up the phone and called Iskander.

" Maeve, whats been going on?I called, I stopped by, your car was there but it looked like you weren't home. I have been so worried. If Eric hadn't told me you were ok and needed some space I would have put out a missing persons report..." I tried to think of something to say,

"Don't ever do this to me again! I needed you" he said.

"I'm sorry...something came up. Listen we need to talk can you meet me for a coffee?"

"No, are you home? I'm heading over now" he didnn't give me time to answer. He hung up.

When he arrived things were uncomfortable at first. He read me the riot act for a while. I can't say that I really blamed him. When he got what he needed to off his chest, he settled down and began to talk about the night he almost died. He really opened up about it, and I could tell that it was something that had affected him deeply. He said it had been the worst experience of his life and as he was fading out of conciousness he thought about how he would never have a chance to tell me goodbye. He thought about the future that would never be.

"Maeve, I don't want to ever say goodbye. I love you, and I want to be with you... forever. " he said.

" I won't leave you Iskander. We have our whole lives ahead of us, but I do need to talk to you about something. I am worried about you" I said, trying to think of a way to bring up an uncomfortable topic.

"Maeve, I want you to turn me. In my line of work, anything could happen. I want us to get started on our future now."This just got worse and worse. First the addiction, now the desire to stop being human.

" Iskander, I can't turn you. I am not allowed to do that, even if I wanted to" I said.

" Then maybe Eric would do it, I'll ask him when he gets back from Rhodes" Iskander said absently.

" What? No! he would own you, you don't want that." I could tell his mind was made up. Afraid that he might ask Clancy who had stayed behind, I added hastily" I will help you. I can't do it myself but Obachan might know someone trustworthy who could do this for you. You know, someone who would let you go your own way once its done. Let me talk to her first. Eric wont be back for a while anyway, and if Obachan can't help you can always ask him later. Sound fair?"

" I knew I could count on you Maeve" he kissed me , and our bodies fell into a familiar dance and rythm. It felt wrong now. There was no pleasure in enabling an addict and at the same time, I loved him and this was a natural expression of that feeling. When he finished showering and left, I got on the horn with Obachan. I didn't know if she could help me, or if she would be angry with me, but I needed to talk. There was no way I was going to allow Iskander to become a vampire, it didn't matter if he wanted it. He was choosing wrong. There had to be a way to get Iskander off vamps for good and back on track. A human track. If there was, Obachan would probably know it.

Obachan picked up and surprised me by saying she was on her way over. She had sensed something was wrong and was actually in Shreveport. While Obachan was on the way, I put my thumb on the heart and called out, "mortimer, are you there? you said there were options, I am ready to hear them. Please, I need your help"

Obachan arrived and Mortimer showed himself. I introduced them and led them both into the living room. It made me feel better that at least there was a representative from Iskanders family present, after all we were going to decide what was best for him. It turns out there actually were a few options available . None of them were "perfect" but there is always a price to be paid. What it came down to with each was who stood the most to lose.

If we did nothing, Iskander stood the most to lose. He would lose himself piece by piece until there was nothing left. He might eventually be turned, but it would be a different Iskander and he would be that Iskander forever.

This meant that if any turning were going to happen, it had to happen ASAP. Turning would put and end to the addiction and it would prevent me from inadvertently leeching off his life force. So that was option number two. Mortimer suggested this one. If Iskander were turned at my request, it would put a strain and possibly end the realtionship I had with the Kitsune's. Obachan did not approve, and I was on the same page. I didn't approve either it was a horrible option.

Obachan introduced the option of curing him, but she would need the other Kitsune to agree and he would have to agree to it. The Kitsune were big on free will. If they did this, he would find vampires repulsive forever, all vampires including it would be the end of the line for us. Mortimer would also have to agree to give up some of his essential spark and I would have to agree to be part of the ritual.

" There has to be better options" I said " Why isn't there the option of curing Iskander and turning me back into a human?" I asked.

It was a valid question as far as I was concerned. I mean after all we were dealing with magic here not science. What good was magic if you could use it to accomplish the impossible?No one answered my question. Ok fine, I would work with I had. I decided on the last option. Obachana talked to the other Kitsune, Mortimer agreed to give up some of his essential spark, and I lied to Iskander.

"Great news! Obachan can help us but you have to tell her that you want this change. It has to be said of your own free will. Oh, but if I could ask you a favor, just refer to it as a change. You know the Kitsune aren't gung-ho on turnings and well there is no need to remind them they are going against their principals to help us out. You understand right, honey?" I said.

" Sure, This is great news. I'l let Obachan know I want the change" he said.

"Thanks, we have to get going to Japan. That's where this guy lives. Can you take some days off from work? I already have the tickets, it kind of has to be now"

It didn't feel good to lie to him, but it was for his own good. We headed off to Japan.

The night of the ceremony Iskander hugged me and said, " We are going to have forever Maeve" he said. I smiled at him and said nothing.

When I was alone that night , Mortimer appeared to me and said" It's not to late to change your mind Maeve, I have to look out for both of you- I feel this is not in your best interest. Why is keeping him human so important? You love each other and being a vampire hasn't worked out so badly for you"

"You can ask me that? Aren't you human? Why would you want him to be a vampire?" I asked.

" I haven't been human for a long time now Maeve, I have been trapped in a ring. I think that you two love each other and deserve to be happy" he said.

" I would never want this for him. Being a vampire is like watching the scene in layer cake where the guy is being beat to pulp while a Duran Duran song is playing" he stared at me blankly.

"Guess you don't watch movies. It's juxtaposition the normal and the cruel. The music is peaceful almost cheerful and the scene is brutal. We have jobs, drive cars, wear designer clothes, and interact socially but beneath it all there is an undercurrent of violence. I didn't used to run around telling people to fuck off, I didn't used to think of people in terms of light bulbs. You can call it love if you want to , but it doesn't change the fact that we are just playing with our food. " I couldn't get more blunt than that.

" You aren't like that. That's not how you feel about him." He pointed out.

"No, but I will be like that. What I am about to do may seem noble and selfless but if you think about it I am just taking away his free will and deciding his fate. I am no better than the others and I am new at this. Its just been over a year. Think of what I will be once a decade has passed. What do you think I will be like after a century? When the world I live in is no longer familiar to me and I feel disconnected from the values and the times? When everything has changed. Do you think I will feel a great deal of concern for a group of people I will have as much in common with as Lord Byron does with a box of Cherios? I didn't have a choice, but I am not going to let Iskander choose this. "

" Well then I guess he doesn't have a choice either" Mortimer ran his finger along my jaw and was gone.

When we got to the Kitsune Village all the lanterns were lit. Iskander and I were taken to bathe. Obachan pulled me to the side before I went in for the bath and explained what I needed to do. I needed to have sex with Iskander in the middle of the circle while the Kitsunes worked their magic. Sex was part of the problem, so it had to be part of the cure. It was the only way to erase me from his flesh. They would then do a healing spell. "What? Obachan, does it have to be so creepy?" I asked. She got pissy and said" Do you want to fix this or not? Everyone is going to be to busy to care about what you two are doing "

" fine"

I went in and took my bath, when I came out Iskander came up to me.

" what is all this?" He asked.

" It's kind of creepy but the Kitsune's want to be sure that you are committed to this, and since they believe the reason for your request is to be my mate, they want us to do this mating ritual first. They wont bring the guy until we have done this. You can't be turned until the mating ritual ritual happens. Then I will go away, and the process will continue" the lies were rolling off my tongue like rain drops rolling down a windshield.

" That's weird but ok" If this had been the Iskander I first met, having sex infront of a circle of stangers would have definitely been a deal breaker. I didn't need any more proof than his agreement to be sure his involvement with me had affected his mind. He held my hand and squeezed it, " Forever"

" Ok, we are ready" Obachan said.

There was the sound of soft drumming and the Japanese flute playing. When we came out they guided us into the middle of a circle, there was a pile of moss and flowers on the ground. Iskander and I disrobed and walked to the center of the circle. " I love you" I said and kissed him for everything that I was worth. I hoped he didn't realize that my kiss tasted of goodby. The act started and so did the ritual. It was a very painful process for me. Vampires exist because of magic, and to have such strong magic worked, with me being part of the focus, was like having my skin burned off my flesh. But I held on, I held on for his sake. Eventually, I passed out and I guess they carried me out of the circle. When I came to Obachan was holding my hand, she called for Iskander.

He looked at me with shock, " Your hair, it's all white. Why did you do this to me Maeve? you lied to me!" he said.

" You will thank me one day" lame I know.

" I am thanking you now Maeve for saving my lifeI, didn't realize how sick I was, I wasn't thinking straight" he replied.

It wasn't what I had expected at all, and it made me smile. " Please Iskander, don't waste this. Get married, have children eat bar-b-Q ,get a tan and stay away from vampires" He nodded. Then I added, " I guess this is good bye then" I went to take the ring off my finger and handed it to him.

" No, keep that Maeve. I loved you and I want you to keep that"

" I can't Iskander, you will have need of it again in the future. This ring has magic and should be worn by the woman you don't want to live without" I gave it back but he left it on the table.

" Please Iskander, take it. I don't need a ring to remember what I had with you."

" I will miss you." He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead and then he was gone. I passed out again and started dreaming. Mortimer and I were in the snow country. His long black hair was blowing in the wind and we were wearing Kimono's. " I am surprised to see you" I said.

"I only came because you needed my help. He misses you, you know. A part of him hates you, because he really did want to be with you. I just thought you should know that" Mortimer said.

" Well thanks for sharing. Its done now. He is safe, and he is human and that is what matters. We protected him, we preserved him and he will find the right human to love." I said and smiled.

He reached over and took my hand, " but who will protect you? who will you love?"

" I will protect myself" I said, and he ran his fingers through my hair.

" I will miss you Maeve. I wont be able to come to you in person anymore but you will dream often and you will have a way to reach me, should you ever need to" He said and kissed me on my forehead. Then he turned into a rabbit and took off into the snow. I was awake again. My eyes came into focus and I realized that Sato was next to me.

" What are you doing here? What's going on?" I asked.

" You have been in and out for months Maeve. We didn't think you were going to make it, so Obachan thought it was only right that I be allowed to come and see you before you were gone. Your hair was all white until about an hour ago. There is only a little bit left now that is silver"Sato held up a mirror. I had a silver streak of hair about an inch wide on my temple." You are Iskander were pretty closely entwined, it took alot to remove you from him. It took alot out of you"

"Oh, why do my eyes have a green in them around the pupil?" I asked. My eyes were now swirls of green, amber and gold."How could I have changed?"

"We don't know what happened to your eyes. They were flat black pools before, but Obachan suspects Mortimer has come to your assistance. If he was able to do so, that means he intertwined his essense with yours during the ceremony in some way. As you get stronger, the green will probably be less pronounced. " he pointed at the heart birthmark on the inside of my ring finger. It was very small, about the size of a freckle when he said this.

"oh" it felt awkward to have Sato there but I could understand him now and I could finally forgive him. What he had done was wrong, but I could understand it. The thing that had always upset me the most about what happened was that I wasn't given a choice. Sato had decided for me, and tried to justify it by saying that he did it to protect me, to preserve me. The outcome was very different for Iskander, but I had essentially done the same thing. The ends don't justify the means. We had traveled a similar path, albeit to reach different destinations.

" I forgive you Sato" I said.

"do you understand me now?" he asked

"yes, I do. In the end you and I weren't so different, were we?" I said as I sat up.

" I don't know about that, you loved him enough to let him go" he pointed out.

" A lot of good that'll do me, my feelings for have him haven't changed. And it really wasn't my choice to make if you think about it" I laughed but there wasn't a trace of mirth in it. " So what's new in Louisiana?"

" The queen is dead, and the Nevada Vamps have taken over the State" He said.

"what? How did that all happen?" I must have been out a long time.

" It started with the bombing in Rhodes, the humans did that. The queen was injusred and that left her kindgoms vulnerable. All the vamps are dead except for Eric. Eric still lives as does those who pledged him fealty" he said.

" oh, I should get back then. He probably needs all hands on deck" I said.

" you want to go back there? Eric's married now you know to Sookie Stackhouse"

" No way? Well that's awesome. At least someone found a way to make the vampire/human thing work" I said.

" He did it to protect her, and I don't know whether I would call the situation "working" it's costing Eric a lot. He is bound to her very tightly . She's becoming less human and he is becoming more human. Its not good. She is going to end up getting him killed." Sato sounded upset when he said this.

" Eric's a big boy, I am sure he can take care of himself " I pointed out. I had the utmost confidence in Eric.

"I would turn her myself if for no other reason to get Eric out of her thrall" Sato was angry.

I looked at him, shocked.

" She is his Achilles heel" he said defensively.

" I think you and I should have learned our lesson by now about taking away peoples choices. I am sure it will work out somehow. Maybe they will find a way to make him human. Just because there wasn't a way for me is no reason to think it applies to everyone" this made pause for a second…Sato had told me that when he was turned it had been on the battlefield. He would have died anyway. Was that the reason no one had answered my question, if you were essentially dead anyway did that mean they could bring you back?

"Sato, was I dying?" I asked.

He actually shed a tear of blood, Obachan had come in. " Yes Mae-chan. You were"

I didn't even want to think about it. " You know what, I am here and I want to leave the past behind me. Lets go to the snow country. I want to feel inspired." I said after an uncomfortable silence.

" That sounds wonderful, we had such a nice time when were there before. I will go arrange it" Obachan said andthen she smiled at me before she left.

" I will go with you" Sato offered

" Thanks, but I don't want to lead you on Sato. I forgive you, but my feelings for Iskander haven't changed. I am not ready to move on"

" I don't expect anything, just let me be there for you. Your selflessness appears to be contagious" he said. How could I say no.

" I don't know about being selfless, but all right"

We headed out to the snow country together. The first night we were there was clear and cold. There had been a recent snow fall. It was the perfect night for a walk. We headed up the paths we Obachan and I had traveled on our last visit and picked the best spot to take in the view. We were standing there looking at the full moon on a cloudless night. I could see a rabbit in it and that brought me comfort. Everything was a beautiful and as peaceful as I remembered it. A tear rolled down my cheek marking the snow with a spot of crimson.

Sato saw the spot and looked up at me concerned, " What's wrong, Mae-chan?" he asked.

" Nothing is wrong, I was thinking of a poem by Emily Bronte" I answered, and I grabbed each of their hands and said, "If you want, I will recite for you"

They both nodded.

"OFTEN rebuked, yet always back returning

To those first feelings that were born with me,

And leaving busy chase of wealth and learning

For idle dreams of things which cannot be:

Today, I will not seek the shadowy region;

Its unsustaining vastness waxes drear;

And visions rising, legion after legion,

Bring the unreal world too strangely near.

I'll walk, but not in old heroic traces,

And not in paths of high morality,

And not among the half-distinguished faces,

The clouded forms of long-past history.

I'll walk where my own nature would be leading:

It vexes me to choose another guide:

Where the grey flocks in ferny glens are feeding;

Where the wild wind blows on the mountain-side.

What have those lonely mountains worth revealing?

More glory, and more grief, than I can tell:

The earth that wakes one human heart to feeling

Can centre both the worlds of Heaven and Hell."

No one said anything when I finished reciting. We held hands and looked out upon the mountains covered with snow, the bright white moon, and a sky filled with bright points of light.


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

When I got to Eric's house I could tell something was wrong. The sheriff of area five and I have an unuasual relationship. We aren't exactly intimates but we have a connection. We understand each other. I would call it friendship except friendship doesn't usually involve words like "leverage","verbal contracts", and "pledges of fealty". Maybe it was friendship, just friendship vampire style. I cared about him, and I had a great deal of respect for Eric. That's why as soon as I had my head on straight again I came back from Japan. I had heard some things I didn't like. Eric needed me. He needed every freind he had. If I could have, I would have circled all the wagons. He had lost his family in a single night and some toungues were busy flapping trying to work up a storm of suspicion. It was only natural that this would be a difficult time for him. But all that had happened when I was enroute to Shreveport. I don't know why, but I had felt there something else going on with Eric and now I felt things had come to head. I couldn't explain why I thought that, but I just did.

" Eric? Are you in here? " I asked. He didn't answer but I knew he was in his living room and he was alone.

" Maeve" He said. He looked like hell.

I went over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "What happened to you?" I asked.

He took one look at me and said " I could ask you the same question" he touched the silver streak in my hair.

" I asked first, here let me get you something to drink" I said and ran into the kitchen to get him a fresh cup of blood. Before I brought it to him I ran out back to fill the Ofuro. That's where we had our best conversations.

" Come on" I led him out back and helped him out of his T-shirt. Then turned away to give him some privacy and to the get the Koto. He didn't look ready to talk yet so I occupied myslef with tuning it and then started playing for him.

" There was only thing I asked of her" he said finally. I didn't answer.

" You know, after it happened last night. I went back." Eric said.

Last night his family had been slaughtered by fairies at Sookie Stackhouses home. Its never good when a member of one supernatural community takes the life of a member of another. That's the kind of stuff that starts wars. Fortunately, all the fairies were sealed off in their own little world. Well, all except a few straglers. There were many things about the situation that could be considered controversial. For starters, there was the fact that Eric's brother had been insane and was attacking the two fairies and probably would ahve killed Sookie, Erics wife. Then there was the fact that one of the fairies was only there because he was trying to kill Sookie, Eric's wife. The fairy who had ended up saving Sookie was also believed, at one time, to be out and about trying to take her life or at least to do her harm. The net of it was there were two vampires dead, and one fairy gone and it was all connected to Sookie. It wasn't her fault, from all I had heard about her, she was a very good person, but still. It seemed someone was always trying to kill her, and this wasn't the first time she had played a roll in a vampires death. Vampires were starting to talk, and vamps that weren't fans of the sheriff could spin things to suit their own agendas.

" did you argue?" I asked.

" No, she was sleeping" he said.

" why did that upset you?" I said, not entirely following.

" There were two others in her bed" he said.

"Lovers?" from everything I had heard, Sookie was a one vamp kind of girl.

" Her cousin and her uncle"

"That's odd" I said.

" Yes, it is. Its very odd that my wife was in bed with two other men"

" but they are family" I pointed out, even though honestly I wasn't sure if that made it better or more disturbing.

" She tried to kill my maker, you know" he said absently. " Those fairy's are up to something"

"Do you think they are trying to break your bond ? " I asked.

" Could they do that?"

" It may be possible" I pointed to the white streak in my hair. " I am sure you noticed Iskander popped of your radar a while back, you guys didn't have a bond but your blood was in him."

"oh, I thought he had died or something" he said.

"Eric, if they did break the bond you would be free and so would she. Think about it, unless she wants to become one of us, she is a liability to you. They might be doing you a favor"

He didn't say anything for a while, and I was afraid I might have overstepped. But it was true, maybe breaking the bond wouldn't be such a bad thing. It would definitely make things easier for Eric. When he spoke again ,he said, " There was only one thing I asked of her…. Fidelity"

" I could be going way out on a limb here, but if they were all sleeping when you got there and you said you turned around...well you couldn't have been gone long. I doubt anything like that happened- Especially since you mentioned they are related ...and well from all you have said and I have heard about her…" It seemed ridiculous that he was even going there.

" I don't think she was unfaithful in that way, Maeve. But there was no reason for those two to be in her bed with her- a line has been crossed. "

" So what are you going to do about it?" I asked.

" I don't know" he answered. I realized we were in deep shit. The Sheriff of Area five always knew what to do about something.

" how are things with you and Sato?" he asked, swtiching gears.

" I forgave him, we are friends now" I said and smiled. Then I added " why don't you talk to her and find out what's going on. Come on, get yourself cleaned up. I'll go get you a towel and some clothes. We have books to go over and I need you to tell me what's been going on with the coffee shop and the construction company. I also have some Cost benefits I have pulled together to figure out what our next business venture should be. Since I am roping you in early, I'll give you a better share of the profits. You know, we should probably come up with a plan on how to stay a step ahead of that new Nevada guy that is such a thorn in everyone's side. All that personal shit will work itself out one way or another, but this stuff can't wait and we are all counting on you. "

He smiled and said, " Before you go come over here and scrub my back" I was happy to oblige him. We always had fun dancing close to the fire but never jumping into it. This night was no different. We ended up getting quite a bit of work done and sharing some laughs. It was what the sheriff needed: to be reminded that there was money to be made, opponents to out manuever,women to lust after him, and friends who had his back. Loving humans, it seemed, was a poor investment for Vampires. It always started out great, but things tended to get heavy fast when the matter became life and death. It was good to take a break from that and get back to things that yield better returns.


End file.
